Healing through Love
by Butterfly Betty
Summary: When Bellla is diagnosed with leukemia, she and her parents move from Phoenix to Forks in hopes that Dr. Carlisle Cullen can save her life. What she doesn't realize is they need her as much as she needs them. MA
1. Chapter 1

Here I am sitting in the back seat of my parent's car driving from warm, sunny Phoenix, Arizona to cold, wet Forks, Washington. I wasn't happy about the move from my home to some strange new town. But I really didn't have a choice. Okay, so that is not really true. I had two choices. My parents and I could stay in Phoenix and I would certainly die or we make the decision to move Forks and I might live. There are no guarantees that I would live if we move but I am willing to try, at least for my parent's sake. We were moving so I could be treated by Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Dr. Cullen is the countries best leukemia specialist. That's right. I have leukemia. Did I mention that I am only 18yrs old and a senior in high school?

That's right I get to move to a new town, start a new school and deal with being sick all in the middle of my senior year. I am so fucking lucky.

I was diagnosed 3 months ago. One morning I woke up with high fever. At first we thought it was just the flu or something but after several days of trying to get the fever to break I was taken to the hospital. They were concerned about my fatigue and lack of appetite so they ran some test. The results came back with a death sentence. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or ALL, as they liked to call it. I preferred to call it never going to college, or never getting married and having babies. However I kept those thoughts to myself. My parents were having a very hard time with my impending death. I was afraid I was going die too but I hid it better. I had to be strong for them.

I spent two months going through radiation therapy before we realized that it wasn't helping. I was only getting worse. My doctor told us that we needed to make the choice to either move out here so I could be treated by Dr. Cullen, and have a better chance of making it or I could stay there and probably die within a year. Some choice, right? So Charlie and Renee called Dr. Cullen and talked to him about my condition. He agreed to treat me but we had to move to Washington State. After dealing with our insurance company, selling our house, buying a new house, and packing up my entire life, we upped and moved to the wettest place in the country.

"Bella, you ok?" asked my mom, Renee.

She has been asking me that every 5 minutes for the last few months. Renee is probably my best friend. I didn't have a lot of friends in Phoenix. The few I did have, were avoiding me ever since I told them I was sick. They pitied me. I didn't want their pity, I wanted their support. Renee is a very beautiful woman. She had shoulder length light brown hair and blue eyes unlike me and my boring brown hair and dark chocolate eyes. I was plain and ordinary.

"I'm fine, Mom, just tired." I tried to reassure her with a small smile but she could read me like a book.

"I know you don't really want to move but we think this is the best shot at beating this. Dr. Cullen sounds like a very nice man from the phone conversations we have had with him." said Renee.

"I know, Mom. I'm just nervous." I said softly looking at my feet. I could feel my tears trying to spring up in my eyes. I blinked several times trying to fight them back.

"Bells, its ok to be nervous and scared. We are too. We are all leaving behind people we care about but we can make new friends here. It will be ok." said my father, Charlie, from the drivers seat. I look a lot like Charlie. We both have dark brown hair, only his is curly, and dark brown eyes.

"I just feel bad that you both are having to give up so much for me."

"Baby, we aren't giving anything up for you. We just get to start new here. The coffee shop will be up and running before you know it." said Renee.

Charlie just nodded his head in agreement and I let it go. Charlie and Renee were opening a small coffee shop in Forks. They owned several of them in Phoenix, so for them this was just an expansion of their business. I looked out the window of our excursion and saw the welcome to Forks sign as we crossed the city limits. I inwardly sighed. Here's hoping that it will be worth it all.


	2. Chapter 2

Charlie drove us through town and pulled up to a large white house right on the edge of the woods. It was very beautiful. It had a large wrap around porch and lots of windows. The movers had already moved in all of our furniture so all we had to take in was our luggage. Charlie refused to let me carry any of it. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him as I followed him into the large house. I could see the large living room and dining room from either side of the entry room. Straight ahead was the kitchen. I followed Charlie up the stair into one of the three bedrooms.

My room was fairly large. The walls were a dark purple with white trim. My king sized bed sat in the middle of the north wall. My dresser and bookshelves had been placed on the west wall. My entertainment center had been placed in the south wall. In the far corner of my room, sitting in front of my large window was my piano. I really liked my room. Charlie set my bags on my bed and left to let me unpack. I quickly unloaded my cloths and shoes into the dresser and the closet. I got my bed made and started on my books and CD's. I was about halfway done when Renee knocked on my door.

"Bella, come down stairs and meet our new neighbors."

"Do I have to?" I whined.

"Yes, you do, missy." she chuckled.

I muttered under my breath as I followed her down the stairs. I followed her into the living room and saw five people sitting on our two sofas. The husband and his wife were both very beautiful. He had blond wavy hair and bright blue eyes. She had long auburn hair and bright green eyes. Sitting next to them on the couch were two boys and a girl. The first of the guys was very big, with lots of muscles. He had brown curly hair and his fathers blues eyes. The girl was sitting next to him. She seemed to be vibrating with excitement. She was much smaller than her brother. She had long brown hair and bright green eyes. The other boy wasn't looking up but from what I could tell he had unruly auburn hair and was very fit.

"Bella, this is Dr. Carlisle Cullen and his wife Esme." She said softly. I snapped my head up and looked at her. Did he know who I was? I turned and looked him in the eye and he nodded his head softly. So he did know who I was. "These are their children Emmett, Alice, and Edward."

At the mention of his name Edward looked up at me for the first time. I felt my breathe catch as our eyes met. I found my self lost in the most beautiful pair of green eyes. It felt like he could see my soul. After a few moments, I broke my eyes away from his.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." I said softly.

"The pleasure is ours, Bella. We were happy to hear that you were moving up here." said Carlisle. I looked into his eyes and saw that he truly meant what he was saying.

"Bella, why don't you show Emmett, Edward, and Alice your room while we get to know Carlisle and Esme." said Renee.

I simply nodded my head and motioned for them to follow me up the stairs. I lead them up the stairs and into my room. I shut the door behind us and turned to look at them.

"So this is my room." I said softly.

"You have a lot of books." said Alice going to look at my bookshelf. "So Bella, what grade are you in?"

"I'm a senior."

"We are all seniors also. Edward and I are twins. Emmett is our cousin. I wonder if we will have any classes together?" said Alice.

"I guess we will see tomorrow." I said sneaking peaks at Edward. He seemed really interested in my piano. "Emmett, how long have you lived here?"

"I have been living with Carlisle and Esme since I was 3yrs old. They took me in when my parents died."

he explained. I couldn't stop the tear that slipped down my face.

"I'm sorry to bring them up." I said softly.

"It's fine. You didn't know. Besides Carlisle and Esme are my parents now."

"You are very lucky then." I smiled at him.

.

"Kids, we need to get going." hollered Esme up the stairs.

I followed them back down the stairs. As I stepped off the last step I tripped when I felt a pain shoot through my hip and went flying. I braced myself for when I hit the floor but I felt a pair of strong arms grab me around my waist and steady me. As soon as he touched me I felt a bolt of electricity shoot through me. I looked up and saw Edward holding me very close to him.

"Thanks" I whispered softly. I had the urge to reach up and press my lips to his. I could feel my breath quicken as I stared into his eyes.

"Your welcome, Bella." he whispered in a voice that sounded like velvet. He slowly dropped his arms from my waist and I felt the loss immediately.

"Bella, would you like to ride to school with us tomorrow?" asked Alice. I looked over at Renee. She nodded her head yes.

"Thanks, Alice. That would be nice." I said.

"Ok, be ready at 7:15. I will come over and get you. I can tell that we are going to be best friends, Bella." squealed Alice. I couldn't help but feel that she was right.

Carlisle came over and grabbed my hand softy as he looked me in the eye. "It really is a pleasure to meet you, Bella. Take care of yourself."

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen."

"It's Carlisle. Let me know if you need anything." He said softly. He then turned and walked right out the door.

They looked at Carlisle shocked for a moment before they waved goodbye and followed their father out the door. I stepped out on the porch to watched them walk next door and walk back into their house. I shut the door and turned to look at my parents.

"So we are living next door to my oncologist?" I asked.


	3. Chapter 3

"Yes, I guess we are. We were pretty surprised to." said Charlie.

"What did you talk about while we were upstairs?" I asked.

"We didn't talk about the leukemia. We just got to know them a little bit. They seem really nice." said Renee.

"Yes, they do but I don't want the others to know yet." I said softly.

"Bella, you won't be able to hide it for long." said Renee.

"I know I can't but it is going to be hard being the new kid in school without everyone knowing that I am going to die." I whispered as a tear fell down my face.

"Bella, you aren't going to die. You can beat this. I know you can." said Charlie.

"We don't know that. We can only hope. I am going to go finish unpacking." I snapped.

"We are going to order a pizza for dinner. Is that ok?" asked Renee.

"Sure." I said as I went up the stairs to my room.

I quietly shut my door and threw myself on my bed and just cried. I wanted to believe them. I want to live but I am so afraid that no matter how hard I fight I am going to die anyway. I don't want my parents to have to watch me die. I don't know if they could handle it. After about an hour of crying I slowly got out of my bed and finished unpacking my books and CD's. I pinned all my posters on my walls. At least if felt like my room. I went back downstairs and tried to eat a few pieces of pizza but I wasn't very hungry. I sat and watched the football game with Charlie for awhile.

At around 9pm, I hugged my parents good night and went upstairs and pulled out my pajama's. I went to close my curtains when I noticed movement from next door. I looked over and saw Edward sitting in the room on the second floor. He was playing the piano with so much passion. Suddenly, he looked up and saw me watching him. He smiled widely at me. I gave him a small wave and pulled my curtains closed. I quickly change into my pajamas and climbed into my bed. I quickly fell into an restless sleep.

I dreamed that I died but my spirit was still floating around. I kept trying to get everyone's attention but they ignored me. I walked up to my parents and they were standing their with the Carlisle and Esme. They were all going on about how much trouble I caused them with having to move. They said I had ruined their lives. They were talking about how glad they were that I was gone. I woke up screaming. I turned to look at the clock and saw that it was 5am.

I slowly got out of bed and grabbed my sketch book and pencil. I went out and sat on the porch. I spent the next hour sketching the dream I had the night before. I could feel the tears falling down my face as I moved my pencil across the paper. Suddenly I could feel a set of eyes on me. I looked up and saw Edward staring at me from his window. He had a frown on his face as he watched me. I quickly stood up and ran back into the house dropping my sketch pad on the porch.

I ran inside and up to my room. I walked into the bathroom and turned the water on as hot as it gets. I stripped off my pajamas and climbed in. I quickly washed my hair, shaved , and got out. I wrapped my towel around me as I stepped out and went to my closet to get my cloths for the day. I decided to wear a pair of tight ripped jeans, a tight fitted black t-shirt with two large cherries on it with a wide red belt hung around my waist and a pair of red ballet flats. I quickly dried my hair and pulled on my cloths. I ran downstairs and found Charlie and Renee sitting at the kitchen table.

"Morning." I mumbled.

"Morning sweetie, how did you sleep last night?" asked Renee.

"I slept ok." I whispered not making eye contact. I knew they wouldn't believe me but they would pretend to.

"That's good. We will pick you up after school for your appointment with Carlisle." said Charlie.

"Ok" I said as the doorbell rang. "I love you both."

I ran to open the door for Alice but I came face to face with Edward. In his hands was my sketch book.

"You dropped this when you ran in this morning." whispered Edward handing it back to me.

"Did you look in it?" I asked.


	4. Chapter 4

"No, I didn't. I just didn't want anyone else to see whatever was making you so sad this morning."

"Thanks." I muttered as I slipped it into my bag. I stepped out and followed him next door to Emmett and Alice.

"You look great today, Bella. We should go shopping after school." said Alice.

"Sorry, I can't. I have an appointment that I can't miss." I said. I really wanted to go but it just wasn't possible. "Maybe another time."

"Definitely." squealed Alice.

We climbed into a shiny silver Volvo. Edward drove and Emmett sat in the front seat with him while Alice and I sat in the back. I was really getting nervous about starting a new school. I sat there and stared out the window as we pulled into the parking lot of Forks high school. I took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. I waved goodbye to the others as I walked up to the office and pulled the door open. I walked up to the front counter and cleared my throat to get the attention of the woman standing there. She looked up and smiled at me.

"May I help you, dear?" she asked.

"I'm Isabella Swan."

"Oh, yes, I'm Mrs. Cope. I have your schedule and map of the school right here. Eleazar was wanting to speak to you for a moment before class starts. You can go right on in, dear." she said as she pointed to the office door.

I walked over and slowly opened the door. Sitting at the desk was a an olive skinned man with dark black hair and dark back eyes. He smiled at me and motioned for me to have a seat.

"You must be Isabella Swan. It's a pleasure to have you here at our school." He said. "I am Eleazar Stefan."

"Thank you, Mr. Stefan, but please call me Bella."

"Ok, Bella, but please call me Eleazar. I had a couple things I needed to speak to you about. First, we have decided that with your health issues, please don't be upset that your parents told us, that you don't need to take Gym. We would like to offer you another class. So far we have art, music and speech available. What would you like to take?"

"Oh, um, I will take music." I said softly.

"Ok, your teachers have been made aware of you illness. If you start feeling ill or need to go lay down please feel free to just get up and come down to the nurse's office. They will not tell any of the students until you are ready to. We want to make this as easy for you as we can."

"Thank you for everything." I said as a tear slipped from my eye.

I quickly got up and walked out of the office. I turned the corner and ran right into Edward. I started to fall but he quickly grabbed me by my arms. I cried out as the pain shot up my arms.

"Aaaahhh." I cried softly.

"Bella, are you ok?" he asked gently.

"I'm fine." I said as I turned and walked down the hall way.

I walked down to my locker and pulled it open. I took off my leather jacket and hung it up. I shut the door and turned to walk down to my classroom when I found myself face to face with a round faced blond haired boy with blue eyes.

"You must be Isabella. I'm Mike Newton."

"Actually, it's just Bella. Its nice to meet you, Mike, but if you will excuse me I need to get to class." I said stepping around him. But he stepped in front of me. I got the feeling he was going to be a problem.

"What class do you have?" he asked eagerly.

"I have English."

"Oh, I have Spanish. Guess I will see you later."

"Sure." I said as I walked away.

I quickly found my way to class. I walked in and saw that Alice was in the class with me. She gave me a small wave, which I returned. I walked up to the teacher and gave him my slip to sign. He looked at me and gave me a small look of pity. Great, I thought to myself, just what I need. He pointed me to the seat next to Alice, which I happily took. We compared our schedules and were sad to find that this was our only class together. She introduced me to a dark hair girl that was sitting in front of me. Her name was Angela Weber. She had government and trig with me.

Mr. Owens started the class and I was bored already. I looked at the reading list he gave me to find that I had already read all of these books numerous times. Alice passed me a note asking if I would eat lunch with her. I quickly wrote back that I would. The rest of the class went by very slowly. Finally the bell rang and I said good by to Alice. Angela and I walked to our next class together all while dodging Mike Newton. She introduced me to her boyfriend Ben Cheney. Ben was a few inches shorter than Angela but he was very fit. They seemed to really seemed to love each other a lot.

After government and Trig went by fairly quickly, with the usual looks of pity from each teacher, I made my way to Spanish. I was happy to see Emmett in this class. After I got my slip signed by Senora Goff, who for once didn't look at my like I was the a member of the walking dead standing in front of her, I went and sat by Emmett.

"Hey, Bella, how has you morning been?" said Emmett.

"It hasn't been to horrible." I said softly.

"Yeah, its really not to bad here." he said offhandedly.

Senora Goff began the lesson so we had to stop talking. I already was pretty fluent in Spanish, so I just sat back and doodled on my notebook paper. I heard Emmett chuckle under his breath and looked over at him. He was looking at my doodle of Mike Newton as a German Sheppard following me around. I felt my face get red as I crumpled my paper up and dropped it into my messenger bag. The rest of the class went pretty quickly. Finally the bell rang and I gathered all of my things and I was about to follow Emmett out when a skinny Asian boy stepped in front of me. I could Emmett snicker behind him.

"Your Isabella Swan, aren't you?" he asked.

"It's just Bella." I said politely while trying to ignore Emmett.

"I'm Eric Yorkie. Why don't you have lunch with me today?" He asked cockily.

"Sorry, I told Alice Cullen I would have lunch with her."

"Oh, ok, maybe another time." he said. He turned and walked out of the room quickly. I turned and glared at Emmett since he was still snickering.

"Gee, What's so funny, Emmett?" I asked harshly.

"Oh come on, Bella. First Newton and now Yorkie. You seem to have the boys following you." He chuckled as we left the classroom.

Standing outside the classroom waiting for us was a the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. She was tall, curvy, and all legs. She had long silky blond hair and beautiful blue eyes. Emmett walked up to her and pulled her into his arm with a passionate kiss. I had to turn and look away. I felt like I was interrupting their personal moment.

"Bella, this stunning woman is Rosalie Hale. Rose, this is Bella, our new neighbor." said Emmett. Rosalie turned and looked at me for just a moment.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella." said Rosalie with a welcoming smile.

"You to, Rosalie." I said as we started walking down the hall towards the cafeteria. I could feel everyone looking at me as we walked down the hall.

"Please call me Rose. So how do you like Forks so far?" ask Rose.

"Its ok. We only got here yesterday afternoon. But so far it is ok." I said softly.

"I know it's hard to be the new kid here. Jasper and I moved up here from Texas 2yrs ago."

"Jasper?"

"Oh, sorry, I figured Alice would have dragged him to meet you already. Jasper is my twin brother and Alice's boyfriend." explained Rose.

"Oh"

We walked into the cafeteria and everyone turned to look at me. I could feel the blush rise on my cheeks as they stared at me. Emmett lead us through the line and got a tray of food for him and Rose to share. I thought that was cute. I grabbed a bottle of water and an apple. I really wasn't hungry but I needed to something in my stomach before I can take my noon pill. I followed them back to their table. Edward and Alice were already there. Alice was sitting next to a tall blond man with curly blond hair and soulful blue eyes. Emmett and Rose sat down leaving the only empty chair next to Edward. I sat down and placed my water and apple on the table. I took my messenger bag off and placed it on the back of my chair. I picked up my apple and took a small bite.

"Bella, this is my boyfriend, Jasper Hale. Jasper, this is Bella Swan, our new neighbor." said Alice.

"Nice to meet you, Bella." said Jasper.

"You to, Jasper."

"Bella, how were you other classes?" asked Alice.

"Boring, I took AP classes in Phoenix." I said shrugging my shoulders.

"So what brings you to Forks?" asked Edward.

"Oh , um, Charlie and Renee, my parents, are opening a gourmet coffee shop downtown."

"Really? That's cool. But why choose Forks? I mean there had to be places closer to Phoenix that could have been just as good." asked Jasper.

"They owned several in Phoenix but we had to move up north so they decided to expand up here." I said avoiding their gazes. I didn't want to tell them that I was the reason, that their father is who brought us here.

"Why did you have to move north?" asked Edward. Just then my cell phone's alarm went off reminding me to go take my pill.

"Sorry, guys, I have to go. I'll see you all later." I said.


	5. Chapter 5

**I stood up and grabbed my water, apple and messenger bag. I walked over and tossed my barely eaten apple into the trash and walked down to the nurse's office. I slowly opened the door and walked in. She smiled at me and handed me my pill. She asked me how I was feeling. I told her I was a little tired but I was ok go to class. She agreed and let me go after I took my pill. I quickly walked to my locker and put my books from the morning into my locker. I turned and made my way to Biology. **

**I walked in to the classroom and noticed that all the desks were full except one, the one with Edward. I quickly walked over and gave the teacher my slip. He quickly signed it as he introduced himself. He gave me my book and told me to go sit next to Edward. I made my way to the table and placed my books on the table as Mr. Banner began to speak. I was sitting there trying to keep my eyes open when a piece of paper was slide in front of me. I looked over at Edward. He was trying to hide a smile on his face. I looked down and read the note.**

_**Bella, are you ok? You left lunch pretty fast.**_

**I'm fine. I just forgot that I needed to get my slip signed by Senora Goff.**

_We were afraid that we upset you somehow._

**No, you didn't. You all have been very welcoming. Thank you.**

_Your welcome, Bella. Favorite color?_

**Green. You?**

_Blue. Favorite movie?_

'

**To many to pick. Yours?**_. _

_The rest of class went by pretty quickly as Edward and I continued to get to know each other. We asked so many questions that my hand was starting to hurt from writing so much. As soon as the bell rang, I stood up and started gathering my stuff. I turned to leave when I noticed that two girls were cornering Edward. He looked very uncomfortable. One of the girls was tall with bleached blond hair and a lot of make-up on. The other girl was pretty short. She had curly brown hair and a lot of make-up. I thought they both looked kind of trashy. I inwardly chuckled at his predicament. I walked over and cleared my throat. _

"_Edward, can you help me find my next class?" I asked sweetly._

"_Of course I can, Bella." He said as he stepped around them. He slipped his arm around my waist. I really wanted to throw my arms around him._

"_But Eddie, I was hoping you would walk me to class." whined the blond girl._

"_Lauren, first, my name is Edward, not Eddie. Second, I have told you and Jessica more than once that you can find the gym on your own. Let's go, Bella." _

_With a smirk on his face, he turned around and pulled me out of the classroom. We chuckled as we made our way down the hall._

"_What class do you have, Bella?" he chuckled._

"_I have music."_

"_So do I ."_

_We were still chuckling as walked down to the music room. I followed Edward into the classroom and he lead me over to the desk where the teacher was standing. He was tall, with dark black hair and bright blue eyes._

"_Peter Davis, this is Bella Swan." said Edward before turning and taking his seat at the piano._

"_Hello, Bella. Its nice to have you in this class." said Peter as he signed my slip. He gave me a gentle smile but didn't look at me like I was going to die right in front of him. _

"_Thank you, Mr. Davis." I said as the bell rang and the students took their seats. I noticed that their were only 2 other students in this class._

"_Please call me Peter. So Bella, do you play any instruments?" asked Peter._

"_Yes, sir. I play the piano, guitar and the cello." I said softly. I heard gasps come from behind me. I felt my face get red from all their attention. _

"_Will you play something for us?" he asked eagerly._

"_Sure, which instrument?" _

"_I guess we will have to use the piano. We don't have a guitar or cello here." he chuckled._

"_Ok, I can bring mine in sometime." _

"_Sounds great." he said as he lead me to the piano that Edward had just stood up from. _

_I sat down and placed my finger's on the keys. I closed my eyes and let the music flow. I thought about how hard it was to leave my home, my friends. I thought about how hard it was for my to face the end of my life. I thought about how welcoming Edward and the others have been. I threw everything I had into each note. As I played the final notes, I realized I had tears running down my face. I slowly opened my eyes and wiped my tears off of my face. Everyone was very quiet. _

"_That was amazing, Bella. Who wrote that piece?" ask Peter softly._

"_I did."_

"_You are very talented." he whispered. _

_We settled into our seats as he started his class. He was telling us about a completion being held in Seattle in two months at the end of May. He encouraged us all to sign up for the competition. The class passed quickly as the rest of the students worked in various pieces of music. I just sat in the back of the classroom and listened to them all play. I was getting nervous about my appointment with Carlisle. As soon as the bell rang, I jumped to my feet and gathered my things quickly. I tried to get out of the classroom fast but Peter asked me to wait a minute. Once everyone had left he pulled the door shut and turned to look at me._

"_Bella, I would really like you to enter the competition in Seattle."_

"_I don't think I will be able to."_

"_I know you are going through a tough time but I think this could give you something to focus in during your treatments. Just think about it, ok?" He asked gently._

"_I'll think about it." I said softly as a tear slipped down my face. I walked out of the classroom slowly. Edward was waiting for me outside of the classroom. He immediately noticed that something was wrong._

"_Bella, you ok?"_

"_Yes, I'm fine. He wants me to sign up of the Seattle competition." I said._

"_That's great. I am signing up for it also."_

"_I can't do it." I said sadly._

"_Why not?"_

"_I..I just can't right now." I said. "I have to go. Charlie and Renee are waiting for me._


	6. Chapter 6

I quickly walked to the office and turned my slip in. I went out and found Charlie and Renee waiting for me in front of the school. I waved good bye to Alice and Rose as I got in the backseat of our car. Charlie pulled out of the parking lot and started off toward Carlisle's office.

"How was school, Bella?" asked Renee.

"It was fine."

"Did you remember to take you medicine at lunch?"

"Yes, Mom, I have the alarm set on my cell phone set to remind me." I said.

"Do you think you classes will be hard?" asked Charlie as he parked in front of Forks hospital.

"No, I have done all of the work so far in Phoenix. I do get to take music instead of gym." I chuckled as I got out of the car.

We headed into the hospital and made our way up the elevator to the 3rd floor. We quickly found Carlisle's office. We checked in at the desk and took a seat in the waiting room. A few minutes later, my name was called by a tall Latin nurse. She had dark hair and dark eyes. I stood up and followed her back to the examination room. Renee came with me. Charlie would meet us in Carlisle's office.

"Hello, Bella. I am Carmen. I am Carlisle's nurse. It is a pleasure to met you." She said with smile.

"Its nice to meet you, Carmen. This is my mother, Renee." I said.

Renee and Carmen exchanged greetings. After checking my weight, blood pressure and temperature, Carmen took a blood sample and lead me into a small examination room. I had lost 3 pounds. After a few minutes, Carlisle came in with a smile on his face.

"Bella, Renee, It's wonderful to see you again."

"Hello, Dr. Cullen." I said politely.

"Bella, please call me Carlisle. Now, how was your first day of school?"

"It was long but good. Emmett, Edward and Alice made it much easier."

"Glad to hear it." He said. "Now I want to perform a routine physical before we go back to my office"

After he checked my heart, lungs, and felt around my stomach he lead us to a large office. Charlie was already waiting for us. I sat in the chair in between Charlie and Renee. Carlisle sat in the chair behind his desk and looked up at us.

"Well, I wish we were meeting under better circumstances but we are not. Based on the blood work that was performed in Phoenix, I think we are going to have to fight this aggressively. I'm not sure why they put you through the radiation therapy. We need to start chemo as soon as possible. You will need to it at least three times a week. We are looking at doing at least 4 cycles. Each cycle is 6 days. During each treatment I will give you more than normally but with as quickly as your health has been declining I think it is the best way to save you. Now you will have to come to the hospital every other day. We will hook you up to an IV. Each session lasts for at least an hour. We can set this up after school but you need to understand that you are going to feel like total crap." he explained. I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped me. He looked at me confused.

"I'm sorry, its just funny to hear a doctor use the word crap. What exactly are the side affects of the chemo." I asked. Carlisle smiled at me as he answered my questions.

"You will experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, you will loose you hair, your throat will hurt. You will need to watch for infections, anemia and excessive bleeding. I will monitor you red blood count to see if we have to give you a red blood cell or platelet transfusions. Any questions?" he asked.

"How long will she be on the chemo?" asked Charlie quietly. "When will she start?"

"She will be in chemo for at least for the next 2 months. She will start tomorrow after school. I can do the treatments here in the office. Then she will have Saturday and Sunday off. We will schedule the treatments for every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday."

"Is there anything she can't do?" asked Renee. "Any restrictions?"

"No, I would let her do what she feels she can do. Bella, you will continue to feel fatigued, you will need to be careful if you get hurt. You will bleed pretty easy, you will bruise easily. Look, here's the thing, you know what your body is feeling. It is important that you let us know if you begin to feel off."

"Yesterday, when I almost fell down the stairs, it was because I felt a sharp pain in my hip. Today at school I nearly walked into Edward while turning a corner, he reached out and grabbed my arms to keep me from falling and I felt sharp pains in my arms."

"Will you take off your jacket and pull up your sleeves so I can look at your arms?" he asked as he came around he desk and kneeled in front of me. I pulled my jacket off and pulled my sleeves up. There on each arm were hand prints where Edward grabbed me. Carlisle gently pulled my arm closer and pressed down on the bruises. I hissed in pain when he touched the spot on my arm.

"I know that hurt, I'm sorry. They should heal pretty quickly but you will need to be very careful." he said softly. He stood up and sat back in his chair. He studied me for a moment. "Bella, I would like your permission to tell Esme about your condition. I think she could help with you care. I know your parents are opening the coffee shop and Esme could help by taking to and from the hospital."

"I don't know. I don't really want her pity."

"Esme, won't pity you, dear. She understands what you will be going through. Why don't the five of us go to dinner tonight? She can share her story with you. Then you can make your choice."

"Ok but lets just dinner at our house. I don't want to have that conversation in public." I asked quietly.

"Deal, how about 7pm?" he asked.

I agreed and we left his office. Over all, I felt the visit went very well. We drove home in silence. We had a couple hours before dinner so I decided to my room and play my cello. I pulled my cello out and sat in front of my big picture window. As I played I poured out every emotion, every ounce of anxiety out in the music. I have always found playing a stress reliever. I felt my body shake with sobs as I continued to stroke each string. I looked up and saw Edward was watching me play. I felt embarrassed that he had seen me crying again. I stood up and wiped my face clean. I stood up in front of the window and gave him a small wave. He waved back and smiled at me. I looked down and saw Carlisle and Esme making their way over. I took a deep breath and waved goodbye to Edward. I turned and went downstairs just as the doorbell rang. I opened the door and invited them both in.


	7. Chapter 7

CPOV

"Bella, Renee, It's wonderful to see you again." I said softly as I walked into Bella's examination room.

"Hello, Dr. Cullen." Bella said politely.

"Bella, please call me Carlisle. Now, how was your first day of school?"

"It was long but good. Emmett, Edward and Alice made it much easier." she said softly

"Glad to hear it." I said. "Now I want to perform a routine physical before we go back to my office"

After I checked her heart, lungs, and felt around her stomach, I led them to a large office. Charlie was already waiting for us. Bella sat in the chair in between Charlie and Renee. I sat in the chair behind my desk and looked up at the scared, frightened girl sitting across from me.

"Well, I wish we were meeting under better circumstances but we are not. Based on the blood work that was performed in Phoenix, I think we are going to have to fight this aggressively. I'm not sure why they put you through the radiation therapy. We need to start chemo as soon as possible. You will need to it at least three times a week. We are looking at doing at least 4 cycles. Each cycle is 6 days. During each treatment I will give you more than normally but with as quickly as your health has been declining I think it is the best way to save you. Now you will have to come to the hospital every other day. We will hook you up to an IV. Each session lasts for at least an hour. We can set this up after school but you need to understand that you are going to feel like total crap." I explained. Bella suddenly chuckled slightly. I looked at her confused. What was so funny?

"I'm sorry, its just funny to hear a doctor use the word crap. What exactly are the side affects of the chemo." She asked. I smiled at her as I answered her questions.

"You will experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, you will loose you hair, your throat will hurt. You will need to watch for infections, anemia and excessive bleeding. I will monitor you red blood count to see if we have to give you a red blood cell or platelet transfusions. Any questions?" I asked.

"How long will she be on the chemo?" asked Charlie quietly. "When will she start?"

"She will be in chemo for at least for the next 2 months. She will start tomorrow after school. I can do the treatments here in the office. Then she will have Saturday and Sunday off. We will schedule the treatments for every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday."

"Is there anything she can't do?" asked Renee. "Any restrictions?"

"No, I would let her do what she feels she can do. Bella, you will continue to feel fatigued, you will need to be careful if you get hurt. You will bleed pretty easy, you will bruise easily. Look, here's the thing, you know what your body is feeling. It is important that you let us know if you begin to feel off."

"Yesterday, when I almost fell down the stairs, it was because I felt a sharp pain in my hip. Today at school I nearly walked into Edward while turning a corner, he reached out and grabbed my arms to keep me from falling and I felt sharp pains in my arms." Bella whispered softly.

"Will you take off your jacket and pull up your sleeves so I can look at your arms?" I asked as I came around the desk and kneeled in front of her. Bella pulled her jacket off and pulled her sleeves up. There on each arm were hand prints where Edward grabbed her. I gently pulled her arm closer and pressed down on the bruises. Bella hissed in pain when I touched the spot on her arm.

"I know that hurt, I'm sorry. They should heal pretty quickly but you will need to be very careful." I said softly. I stood up and sat back in my chair. I studied her for a moment. I knew she needed someone to help her through this time. I thought about Esme. She would be able to help Bella. "Bella, I would like your permission to tell Esme about your condition. I think she could help with you care. I know your parents are opening the coffee shop and Esme could help by taking to and from the hospital."

"I don't know. I don't really want her pity." said Bella warily.

"Esme, won't pity you, dear. She understands what you will be going through. Why don't the five of us go to dinner tonight? She can share her story with you. Then you can make your choice."

"Ok but lets just dinner at our house. I don't want to have that conversation in public." She asked quietly.

"Deal, how about 7pm?" I asked.

Bella agreed and followed her parents out of my office. I grabbed my coat and told Carmen I was going home for the day. I climbed into my car and headed back to the house. I thought back to when I had first heard about Bella's case. Her parent's Charlie and Renee called me about four weeks ago. They explained that their daughter had been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia two months before. Her idiot

doctor thought they should treat her with radiation therapy instead of going straight to chemo. I agreed to look at her records if they would fax them to me. They agreed to and had them sent that day. Bella was a very sick young lady. Her blood test showed her white blood cells dangerously high. The smallest infection could kill her. I called her parents back and told them that I would agree to treating her but they would have to relocate to Forks. They agreed and have spent the last four weeks trying to get here. They had a little trouble with their insurance company but I helped them work it all out.

Imagine my surprise when we went over to meet our new neighbors yesterday and they turn out to be Bella and her parents. When she came down the stairs she looked so scared. Renee introduced us to her and she snapped her head up and looked at me wide eyed. I saw so many emotions flash across her face, fear, hope, despair. She was barely hanging on for her parents sake. She took the kids upstairs to her room for a few minutes and even thought we didn't speak about her health issues, I saw the fear on her parents face. They don't want to lose her. When Bella and the kids came back down stairs, she nearly tripped on the stairs. Edward reached out and pulled her into his arms. I saw a flash love cross both of their faces. I knew then that I had to do what I could to save her. I pulled my car into the drive way and ran into the house. I found Esme in the kitchen.

"Esme, darling, I need to speak to you for a moment in our room." I whispered as I pulled her into my arms.

"Carlisle, is everything ok?" asked Esme.

"I don't know." I whispered as I pulled her up the stairs to our room. I closed the door behind me. "Esme, I have a favor to ask you."

"What can I do for you?" she asked.

"I need you to tell Bella about the cancer." I said softly.

"Why?" she whispered.

"I know it is hard for you to talk about and I wouldn't ask if it wasn't very important." I whispered. "Please, darling, you can help her so much."

"Ok, Carlisle. I will tell her." she said wiping the tear that had fallen from my eye.

"Thank you, Esme. We are having dinner with them in an hour." I whispered. "I love you."

"I love you to, darling." she whispered.

For the next hour, Esme and I just laid in our bed with our arms wrapped around each other. There was something about Bella that I knew was special. I saw a light in her that I had to save. The way that Edward looks at her told me that I had to do everything I can to save her. We both sighed at we got up and walked downstairs to go to the Swan's house for dinner. We found Emmett and Alice in the living room watching TV. We told them to order a pizza for dinner. We walked next door with our arms wrapped around each other. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A few moments later a sad looking Bella pulled open the door.


	8. Chapter 8

BPOV

"May I take your coats?" I asked.

"Yes, please." said Esme. She and Carlisle took off their jackets.

I went and hung them in the coat closest. I went back and joined them all in the living room. Charlie and Renee were sitting on the small sofa while Carlisle and Esme were sitting on the large sofa. I sat in the small arm chair and sat quietly. Esme turned and looked at me closely for a moment before addressing me.

"Bella, Carlisle has asked me to share my story with you. Would you like to hear it?"

"Yes, if you don't mind sharing it with me." I said softly. Carlisle, Charlie and Renee got up and left us to speak privately.

"I don't mind at all. Five years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was performing my monthly breast exam when I noticed a large lump in my right breast. I immediately told Carlisle about it. He performed a biopsy and for the next three days, I lived in fear of what was going to happen. After three days we got the test results back. The lump was malignant. I was devastated. I kept thinking that I was going to leave Carlisle alone to raise the children. I fell into a major depression. I could barely get out of bed, I wouldn't eat. The children tried to get me out of bed but I just couldn't face them. I was angry and bitter. It wasn't fair that I was having to go through this. I didn't want the children or Carlisle to have to watch me die. It wasn't fair. Finally one day, Edward came in and sat on the bed with me. He told me that he missed me. They missed me. He said I was acting like I was already dead. I decide that instead of wallowing in my misery, I would fight. I went through 6 cycles of chemo. I lost weight, I couldn't keep anything down. I lost all my hair. I ended up having to have a double mastectomy. After that I went into remission. I have remained in remission for 4yrs. I don't know what you are going through, dear, but if you need a friend, please call me. I will be there for you any time you need me."

I could feel the tears running down my face as I listened to her story. She really understood what I was feeling. The hopelessness that I feel. The guilt for wishing it was happening to someone else. I took a deep breathe and looked her in the eye.

Three months ago I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. We moved here so that Carlisle could treat me. Because of me, my parents had to move across the country and watch me die. Its not fair. I can't help but think about how I might not get to go to college. I may never be able to have children or get married. I may never fall in love. It's just not fair." I cried out as my tears fell down my face. Esme stood and kneeled in front of me.

"Bella, dear, I know it is scary. Your right, you may not be able to do any of those things but you have to fight. Give yourself the chance to experience it all. Don't do it for your parents, do it for yourself."

"I want to but I am so afraid. I just want to be a normal high school student. I want to go shopping and worry about prom dates. I don't want to worry about losing my hair or make sure I take my pills" I said.

"I know you do, Bella. But you can't. You have to worry about your beautiful hair. You have to worry about taking you medicine everyday but you don't have to do it alone. Carlisle and I are here for you. Charlie and Renee are here for you. If you let them, the children will be here for you."

"I can't tell them yet. I know I will have to soon but I just can't yet." I whispered.

"Ok dear, but when you are ready, we will be here for you." whispered Esme pulling me into her arms.

After a few minutes, we stood up and joined the others at the dining room table. They all looked up to me and I told them that I told her all about it. I didn't share my fears with them. I needed to keep those to myself for awhile longer. I told them how I didn't want Edward, Alice or Emmett to know yet. They all thought I should tell them but I wasn't ready. They agreed to wait until I was ready. After dinner, I bid them all good night and went up to my room. I was completely exhausted. I grabbed my pajamas and went into the bathroom. I changed and brushed my teeth and washed my face. As I climbed into bed I couldn't help but notice that Edward was sitting at his piano again. I hoped to one day get to hear him play. I fell asleep quickly.

I woke up the next morning a little after 6am. I literally had to drag my ass out of bed. I was so tired. I took a longer shower than I normally do. I finally got out of the shower and pulled in a pair of jeans, a white t-shirt, and a pair of black leather boots. I also put on my black leather jacket. I grabbed all of my thing for school and went down for breakfast. I wasn't hungry but I managed to eat a granola bar. Renee was going to pick me up from school and take my to my first chemo treatment. Esme had offered but Renee wanted to be there for the first one. Charlie would have come but he was meeting with the health inspector. They were hoping to open the coffee shop in just a few days. I heard the doorbell and I gave Charlie and Renee a quick hug and kiss. I went to open the door. Edward was standing their with a crooked grin on this face. His smile fell when he saw how tired I looked.

"Bella, did you have trouble sleeping last night?" he asked.

"No, I am just really tired."

"Maybe you should stay home today?"

"I can't" I said.

He was going to say something else but Alice bounced over to me and dragged me into the back seat of the car. Emmett and Edward just chuckled at their sister's excitement. I spent the car ride to school telling them about Mike Newton. Edward thought it was quite funny that he was following me around. At least he did until I made a comment about the Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley. That shut him up pretty quickly. We pulled up next to a shiny red BMW convertible. As we stepped out of the Volvo, Rose and Jasper hoped out of the BMW.

"Nice car, Rose." I said.

"Thanks, Bella"

"Bella, you ok? You look really tired today." said Jasper.

"I'm fine." I said as we walked into the school.

All of our lockers were pretty close to each others so we walked there together. I opened my locker and took off my jacket. I heard everyone gasp behind me. I looked behind me and saw that they were all staring at my arms. I tried to pull my sleeves down but Edward gently pulled my arm towards him as he examined my bruises. They were a nasty black and purple color today.

"Bella, are these from when I grabbed your arms yesterday?" asked Edward softly.

"What the fuck, Edward? Why did you grab her?" bellowed Emmett at his little brother.

"Emmett, calm down. I ran into him before first period yesterday. He grabbed my arms to keep me from falling. I bruise really easy. It's not a big deal." I explained.

"Bella, these look pretty bad." said Alice.

"I know, but they don't hurt." I said. Jasper reached out and barely pressed down and I couldn't stop the hiss of pain as it came out. "Shit Jasper."

"Thought you said they didn't hurt, Bella?" he demanded.

"Fine maybe they hurt a little, ok. Back the fuck off." I snapped harshly. "I'm going to class."


	9. Chapter 9

I turned and grabbed my messenger back, slammed my locker shut and walked down the hallway to my English class. I walked in and sat in my seat from yesterday. A few minutes later, Alice walked in. She looked over at me with a frown but I assured her I was fine. I know I probably overreacted but what was I supposed to say. Gee, sorry guys, I bruise like a fucking banana at the lightest touch.

The rest of my morning went pretty well. Angela and I talked a little more during my next two classes. She seemed to be really nice. I watched her and Ben together. I have to admit I was a little jealous. I couldn't help but wonder if I would ever get the chance to find a love like that have. At the end of Trig, I said goodbye to them and made my way to Spanish. Emmett and I passed notes during the entire class. It was nice getting to know him better.

Rose met us outside of class again and the three of us walked down to the cafeteria for lunch. I grabbed a cheese sandwich and a bottle of water. We went and sat down with the rest of them. I was happy to see Angela and Ben sitting with us today. I took a couple small bites of my sandwich then put the rest on the table.

"Bella, Alice, Angela and I are going shopping after school. Do you want to come with us?" asked Rose.

"I can't. Renee is picking me up after school. She and I have a few errands to run." I said sadly.

"That's ok. Maybe we can hang out this weekend. Why don't we have a sleep over at my house tomorrow night?" squealed Alice. Rose and Angela quickly agreed then looked at me. I really wanted to but I wasn't sure if I would be feeling up to it.

"Maybe. I'll talk to Renee and let you know in the morning ok?"

"That's fine, Bella." said Alice.

"Bella, you didn't eat much of your sandwich. You sure you are feeling ok." asked Emmett.

"I'm fine. Just not very hungry." I said as my alarm on my cell phone went off. "See you guys later."

I stood up and threw my lunch away and made my way to the nurse's office. I opened the door and walked in. She commented on how tired I look and asked me if I wanted to lay down for awhile. I told her I was ok but that if I needed to I would come back. I quickly took my pill and left her office. I walked down to my locker and put my books from the morning back in and grabbed my biology book. I started walking down to my class room when I started to stumble when I felt a pain in my hip. I braced myself to hit the floor when I felt two arms grab me around my waist. I turned and saw that Edward had once again stopped me from falling. He set me back on my feet and I started rubbing my hip trying to get rid of the pain.

"We gotta stop meeting like this, Bella." he teased. Then he saw me rubbing my hip. "Is your hip ok?"

"Oh, yeah, its fine. I just hit it on a desk earlier." I lied.

"Well, I guess we had better get to class." he said.

We walked to biology together in silence. We took our seats and I started to thank him when I heard two girls come up behind me.

"Hi, Eddie. I was wondering if you wanted to take me the movie's this weekend?" asked Lauren.

"Nope, not really. Besides I already have plans with Jasper, Emmett and Ben." said Edward.

"Come on, Eddie. I am sure you will have more fun with me than with them." she purred. But it came out more as a grunt. I couldn't stop the snicker from leaving my lips. "Something funny, Swan?"

"Um, yeah, your desperate attempts to get EDWARD to take you anywhere is pretty damn funny." I said.

"And who asked a little nobody like you." sneered Jessica.

"Didn't Lauren just ask me what was so funny?' I asked Edward as I turned to look at him. He was barely holding his own chuckle in as he nodded his head yes. I turned back and spoke to Jessica. "Lauren asked me."

"Whatever" muttered Jessica stomping toward her seat. I looked up a Lauren.

"Are you still here?" I asked. She just looked at me and huffed as she went to sit next to Jessica. I turned to look at Edward. "Those two are keepers."

He busted out laughing at my last comment. I heard someone chuckling behind us and found a tall bald headed boy with grey eyes and a tall blond girl with blue eyes chuckling with us. I recognized them both from my music class but I never got their names. He looked at me and chuckled again.

"Sorry to eaves drop but that was awesome. I'm Garrett Mitchell. You must be Bella." said Garrett.

"Its fine. I just can't believe they can be so fucking clueless. It's nice to meet you Garrett and…"

"Oh sorry, I'm Kate Denali. It's nice to meet you to." chuckled Kate.

Just then Mr. Banner came in and started class. It was so boring. We were talking about flatworms. I nearly fell asleep several times. I was starting to regret not taking the nurse's suggestion that I take a nap. Just as my eyes closed for the 100th time, the bell rang signaling the end of class. I heard Edward chuckle as I groaned as I stood up. I shot him a glare.

"What's so funny, Cullen?"

"I was just enjoying watching you fight the urge to sleep. It was cute." he said with a chuckle.

I merely rolled my eyes and followed Garrett and Kate out of the classroom. Edward and I made our way out to his car so I could grab my cello. I wanted to play during music. Edward insisted on carrying it for me since my arms were sore from where he had grabbed me. I just humored him as we walked into class. Peter's eyes got wide with excitement when he saw my cello.

Once class began, we all separated into our own music rooms and began playing. There were only the four of us in the class. I was so lost that I didn't hear the door open. It wasn't until I was done playing Beethoven's fifth symphony that I heard the whispering behind me. I jumped up and found Edward, Garrett, Kate and Peter all watching me.

"Bella, that was amazing." said Garrett. "How long have you been playing?"

"I've been playing the cello since I was 8 yrs old. I started out playing the piano when I was 4yrs old. I have been playing the guitar for 2yrs." I explained.

"So which one are you playing for the Seattle contest?" asked Kate.

"None of them. I won't be able to compete."

"Oh, come on, Bella. You would defiantly win if you sign up. A full scholarship to any college of your choice. How can you not even try?" asked Garrett.

"I just can't. I don't even know if I will be going to college so it doesn't matter." I said softly.

"Bella, why wouldn't you go to college?" asked Edward.

"I just can't." I said. "I'm afraid-"

"So you are just going to waste you talent because you are afraid? You aren't even going to try?" snapped Garrett. "Some of us would love to have half your talent. Some of us would give anything to be able to compete."

"SOME OF US MAY NOT EVER GET THE CHANCE TO DO ANYTHING THEY WANT. I WANT NOTHING MORE THAN TO BE ABLE TO COMPETE AND GO TO COLLEGE AND BE NORMAL. BUT I CAN'T, SO FUCK OFF,OK." I screamed.

I laid my cello down and pushed my way out of the classroom as the bell rang. I ran down the hall and out into the parking lot. I quickly jumped into the car with Renee as the tears fell down my face. She looked at me to ask me what was wrong but I just shook my head at her not to ask. I know they all meant well but they didn't understand what I was going through. I wanted nothing more than to be able to sign up, to worry about music instead of chemo treatments. I'll admit I am afraid. I love playing more than anything in the world but I wasn't sure if I can risk my heart. Renee pulled up in front of the hospital and we made our way up to Carlisle's office. I was taken straight back to a room that had 3 beds in. I laid down and Carlisle came in the room.

"Hi Bella. How are you today?"

"Tired. My arms are sore."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Try soaking the bruises. It might help." he said as he pulled out an IV kit. "I am going to start your IV. It should take about an hour for it to complete. I will check back with you in a little while."

He quickly inserted the needle and taped it down so it wouldn't pull then left the room. I pulled out my copy of Wuthering Heights. I was sitting there reading when the door to the room opened and Carmen lead a tall bald boy. It was Garrett.


	10. Chapter 10

"Garrett?" I asked softly. He looked up in surprise.

"Bella?" he asked as he laid down on the bed next to mine. He was going to say something else but Carlisle came in the room.

"Garrett, how are you feeling today?" he asked as he started Garrett's IV.

"I am ok, Carlisle. I was able to make it through the night with out throwing up for a change." said Garrett.

"That's good. Just make sure you are drinking plenty of water. Have you met Bella?" asked Carlisle.

"Yes, we have a couple of classes together." I said.

"I see. Well, I will check back on you both a little later." said Carlisle. He turned and walked out of the room. Garrett and I sat in silence for a few minutes.

"So Bella, what's killing you?" asked Garrett.

"I have Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. You?"

" I have ALL also. When were you diagnosed?"

"Three months ago. That is why we moved to here. I spent two months in radiation therapy that didn't help. Today is my first chemo treatment." I said softy. "How about you?"

"Six months ago. I am starting my fourth round of chemo today."

"Does anyone at school know?"

"Just Kate and my teachers. She helps me a lot. She is the one who shaved my head for me. You haven't told anyone, have you?" asked Garrett.

"No, my teachers know but I haven't told anyone else."

"I understand. You don't want their pity. I didn't either. But they will find out. You won't be able to hide it as well as I can once you start losing your hair."

"I know." I said. "I'm just not ready."

"Ok, Bella, I won't tell anyone. I would like to tell Kate. She will keep it a secret, I promise."

"You can tell Kate but nobody else."

"So this is why you aren't going to compete in Seattle?" he asked gently.

"Yes, I'm afraid."

"Bella, you shouldn't hide behind the leukemia."

"I know." I whispered.

Garrett and I talked for the rest of our session. He was a really funny guy. He told me that he and Kate were both seniors. They were planning on going to school at UW in Seattle. He told me about how he and Kate started dating when they were freshman. He is an only child also so we talked about how tough it was on our parents. His parents had to work during his treatments so Kate comes with him every time. We discovered that we were coming to treatments on the same days, so at least we could hang out then. Carlisle finally came in and took out our IV's and let us go home. He made us promise to call him at home if needed him. Garrett and I walked out to the waiting room and found Renee and Kate talking. We walked up to them and introduced everyone. I was glad that Kate was there for Renee. Garrett, Kate and I exchanged cell numbers. I hugged them both goodbye. Renee and I went home. Edward was waiting on the porch for me. Sitting next to him was my cello.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" I asked softly as I sat next to him on the porch. Renee just smiled at us and went to start dinner.

"You left your cello at school. I thought you might want to play it tonight. You seem to really enjoy it." he explained.

"Thank you. That was very kind of you."

"Bella, I'm sorry if we upset you at school. You just have so much talent and passion for music. I hate to see you choose not to play. I…"

"You what?"

"I just really care about you a lot. I know I don't know you very well but please know I am always here for you, Bella." he whispered.

"Thank you, Edward. I care about you to." I whispered as a tear fell down my cheek. "I had better go help Renee make dinner."

"Ok, Bella. I will see you later. Good night."

"Goodnight, Edward."

I gave him a small hug and took my cello inside. I took it up to my room then went down to help Renee make dinner. I wasn't very hungry so I decided to go to bed early. I had just laid on the bed when I felt the need to throw up. I jumped off the bed and ran into my bathroom. I barely made it to the toilet in time. Renee pulled my hair out of my face and held it for me as I threw up. Once I was done she got me a wash cloth and helped me clean my face. She and Charlie carried me back to my bed. I laid down and fell asleep almost immediately.

I woke up several time through out the night throwing up but Charlie and Renee were there for me. They held me as I cried from throwing up so much. Every time I needed them they were there. Eventually around 6am, I fell back into a deep sleep. I woke up several hours later. I stretched and slowly got out of bed. I looked at the clock and noticed it was the middle of the afternoon. My body ached from throwing up. I slowly went downstairs. I found Esme in the kitchen.

"Esme?"

"Good afternoon, Bella. How are you feeling, dear?"

"Tired and sore. Where are Charlie and Renee?"

"They were exhausted so I came over and told them to go to bed." she said softly.

"Thank you. It was a long night."

"Bella, you can let us take care of you. "

"I just can't help but feel guilty."

"You really shouldn't feel guilty. We do it because we love you." she said. "Are you coming to the sleep over tonight?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't talked to Renee about it yet."

"You should go, Bella." said Renee from the doorway. "It will be good for you."

"Ok, I guess I am in."

"Good girl. Why don't you go pack a few things. I will walk back with you." said Esme.

I went up to my room and took a quick shower. I hopped out and went and pulled in a pair of yoga pants, a long sleeve t-shirt and a pair of tennis shoes. I was fixing to walk out of my room when I heard my cell phone beep. I looked down at it and saw that I had a text message from Garrett.

_How was your night?-G _

_It was long. I don't think I have ever thrown up like that. Yours?-B_

_About the same. Let us know if you need anything. Kate is going to a sleep over at Alice's. Are you?-G_

_Yes, I am. Have a good night. -B_

_You to. Let me know if you need anything.-G_

_I threw my cell phone in my bag and went back downstairs. I took my meds and threw them in my bag. I hugged Charlie and Renee goodbye and walked next door with Esme. We walked into the house and found Carlisle sitting on the sofa reading the paper. He looked up at me and smiled._

"_How are you today, Bella?" he asked._

"_Tired and sore but I am ok." I said softly. Just then Alice came running down the stairs._

"_BELLA." squealed Alice as she threw her arms around me. _

"_AAAHH." I cried out a little at the pain from the impact._

"_Alice, don't hurt her." scolded Carlisle._

"_I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just glad to see you here." said Alice sadly._

"_It's fine, Alice. I just wasn't prepared for it."_

"_Alice, take Bella's bag up to your room." said Esme. She led me over to the sofa and I sat down. It felt good to get off of my feet for just a few minutes. Alice picked up my bag and took it upstairs. "Bella, you let us know if you need anything."_

_I thanked them both. She and Carlisle got up and left the room. Alice came down a few minutes later. Just as she stepped off the bottom step the doorbell rang. She pulled the door open, and standing there was Rose, Angela, Kate and two girls I didn't know. They all came in and Kate introduced the two girls to me. The first one was her sister Tanya. Tanya had long strawberry blond hair and big blue eyes. The other girl was Leah. She was from the reservation down in La Push. For the next few hours, I got to know them all. Tanya was a sophomore. She was going out with Leah's little brother Seth. Leah was dating a boy named Jacob Black, who was from the reservation also. _

_A little after 6pm, they started eating some pizza's that Esme had ordered. As soon as the smell hit me I had to run to the bathroom. I barely made it in time. I felt Kate pulling my hair out of my face and rubbed my back for me. She got me a wash rag and helped me clean up my face._

"_Thanks, Kate."_

"_Your welcome, Bella. I know it helps Garrett when I rub his back."_

"_Garrett is lucky to have you." I whispered._

"_I'm the lucky one. Are you ok now? Do you want to go back?" she asked._

"_I think I am." I said softly. We stood up and walked back into the kitchen. All of the pizza had been cleaned up. They all looked up at me concerned._

"_I'm fine." I said looking down at my feet._

_They seemed to buy it and we went back into the living room. We piled on the floor and started watching movies. I didn't last very long before I fell asleep. _

_I woke up a few hours later, and as quietly as I could made my way upstairs. I went into Alice's room to get my sketch book when I heard someone playing the piano. I followed the noise to Edward's room. His door was cracked open so I gently pushed it open more. I stood there and listened to him playing. He was amazing. I couldn't stop the tears from falling down my face. Edward must have heard me because he stopped playing and turned to look at me._


	11. Chapter 11

"I'm sorry to interrupt." I whispered through me tears. Edward stood up quickly and pulled me into his arms.

"It's fine. Why are you crying?" he whispered.

"You play so beautifully." I said through my tears.

"So do you." he whispered.

At that moment I felt my stomach churn. I pushed out of this arms and ran to the bathroom. I leaned over the toilet and dry heaved for several minutes. I felt Edward rub the back of my neck with a cold wash cloth.

"Leave me alone, Edward." I tried to push him away but I didn't have the strength to.

"No, Bella, your sick. I'm not leaving you alone." He said as he pulled me into his arms

For the next hour he held me and let me cry. He just started telling me about when he was little and he stated playing the piano. He said he used to drive Esme and Carlisle nuts when he would practice. That is why they moved it into his room. He continued to talk about books and movies as he held me. I realized that I was developing feeling for him. I felt a pull, a connection to him. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew woke up in his bed. I looked around the room and saw that I was alone. I looked at the clock and saw that it was a little after 10am. I slowly got out of the bed and went to brush my teeth and wash my face. I went downstairs to the kitchen and found everyone was eating breakfast. One look at the plates of food and I had to run to the bathroom again. Edward came running in after me. He helped me clean up and lead me back into the living room. He held me on his lap while I let my tears fall.

"Bella, what's wrong?" he whispered.

"Everything is wrong." I said softly.

"You can trust me, you know." he said softly.

"I know. I'm just not ready yet." I said as the tears fell from my face. I am sure he was wondering why I seem to be crying all the time.

After a few minute's Alice came in and dragged me upstairs to her room to join the others. They were giving each other manicures and pedicures. They wanted to do facials to since I fell asleep so early last night but I talked them out of it. I had just sat down when my cell phone beeped. I looked down and saw a new text from Garrett.

_K tells me you had a long night. Need anything?-G_

_It was a long night but I am heading home soon. Thanks for the offer and letting me borrow your girlfriend. -B_

_Anytime, B, anytime. See you at school tomorrow.-G_

I put my phone down and noticed that everyone was watching me. We were all gathered on Alice's floor, painting our nails when Alice starts asking me questions.

"So, Bella, what is going on with you and Edward?" she asks.

"Nothing. We are just friends." I mumbled.

"Oh come on Bella, I see how you to look at each other." teased Rose.

"I'm not sure what you are talking about."

"Bella, the boy likes you a lot. Do you like him?" asked Alice.

"Yes, he is a great friend." I muttered.

"I mean as more than a friend."

"It really doesn't matter does it. He would never like me like that."

"I think he already does." smirked Rose.

"Just drop it ok." I begged.

"Oh come on, Bella. You have to see how much he likes you." smirked Alice.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT I WANT. I AM TO DAMAGED FOR ANYONE TO LOVE. DON'T YOU GET IT." I screamed as I ran out the door and ran downstairs.

I quickly stood up and grabbed my bag and ran downstairs. I told them I was going to go home. I thanked them for everything. Esme insisted that Edward walk me back home. I followed him out the door. We walked slowly next door to my house and stopped on the porch. Edward reached up and gently stroked my cheek.

"Bella, are you sure you are ok?" he whispered softly.

"No." I whispered back. "But I hope it will be."

"Can I do anything for you?"

"Just promise to be my friend. I need you more than you will ever know." I whispered as my tears fell freely.

"I'll be anything you want me to be, Bella. Forever and ever." He whispered.

He then bent down and placed a soft kiss on my forehead. He turned and ran back to his house. I went inside and walked straight to my room. I fell on my bed and thought about what he had just done. I realized that I had fallen in love with him. Of course, there is now way he could ever love me back. I spent the rest of the day laying in bed crying.

I managed to get through the night without throwing up. I got up Monday morning and slowly got dressed. The bruises on my arms were finally turning yellow, although I did have some on my waist from where Edward had kept me from falling. I made my way down stairs and was able to eat a couple pieces of toast. I sat and talked with Charlie and Renee for a few minutes. Renee was going to pick me up from school again and take my to my chemo treatment. The doorbell rang and I went out and followed Edward to his car. We quickly drove to school and made it to our first period classes.

The school day went by pretty quickly. Garrett and Kate joined us at our table for lunch. When my alarm went off, I noticed that Garrett's did to. We both snickered to each other as we excused ourselves. We went down to the nurse's office and took our pills together. The rest of the afternoon went by pretty quickly. Before I knew it I was sitting in the small room in Carlisle's office getting my second chemo treatment. Garrett and I spent the hour talking about everyone at school. He thought it was pretty funny how Mike Newton and Eric Yorkie were following me around. Our treatment was finally over and we went home. I spent most of the night in the bathroom throwing up. Charlie and Renee urged me to stay home the next day but I explained that it was the only time I felt somewhat normal. I needed to go.

The rest of the week went by very slowly. I spent much of Tuesday running out of my classes to go throw up. I ended up spending lunch in the nurse's office with Garrett. We both took a quick nap. When we walked into Biology, Kate gave us a concerned look but we tried to reassure that we were ok. The rest of the week was much of the same. I enjoyed getting to know Edward, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Rose, Angela, Ben and Kate at school. They were quickly becoming my closest friends. I could tell that Edward and the others were worried about me being sick so much but I assured that I was ok. I think they knew I was hiding something but they respected my privacy.

Garrett and I knew we were going to have to tell them soon but it was so hard. Kate spent a lot of time reassuring us they would be able to help us but it was hard. On Wednesday, Garrett and I talked about what we wanted at our funerals. I know it was kind of morbid but we both needed to get it out. We didn't want people to mope around. We wanted them to celebrate our lives, not dwell on them. We wrote out exactly what we wanted. We made each other promise to uphold the other's requests. Edward and I spent lot of time getting to know each other. He would come over and we would sit on the porch for hours and talk about music, books and movies. We had very similar taste. I desperately wanted to tell him how I felt but I knew I would have to tell him about being sick. I was afraid that he would hate me for not telling him sooner or that he wouldn't feel the same way about me. I wasn't sure I could handle either reaction.

I spent the weekend at home in bed. The treatments were really taking a lot out of me. Between the throwing up and fatigue I wasn't able to do much. Edward came over Sunday and we watched movies all day in my room. It was nice to have him as a friend. I wanted more. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and kiss him. I wanted to declare my love for him but I was afraid.


	12. Chapter 12

I woke up Monday morning, and went to take a shower. I was washing my hair when I pulled my hands out and with it large chunks of my hair. I screamed out as I fell to my knees in the shower. Renee came running in and turned off the shower. She helped me stand up and dry off. She pulled my robe on me and sat me on the bed next to her.

"My hair is coming out." I whispered. "It's not fair."

"I know its not, baby," she said.

"Why me? What did I do to deserve to die?" I wailed.

"Bella, baby, you did nothing to deserve this. It's not your fault. It just happened." she whispered through her own tears.

She let me cry for a few minutes before she left so I could get dressed. I pulled on a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt and a pair of tennis shoes. I went and looked in the mirror and noticed that I had several bald spots starting. I just sighed as I pulled my hair into a ponytail. It hid the bald spots pretty well. I made my way downstairs to the kitchen where I found my parents cuddle together at the table. As soon as he saw me, Charlie gave me big hug and told me it was going to be ok. I tried to smile back at him but it was hard to feel to positive at the moment. So just hugged him back and walked over to meet Edward and everyone at their car. They weren't out yet so I just sat on the porch and laid my head on the railing. I heard the door open and saw Esme and Carlisle coming out. They sat next to me and pulled me into their arms.

"My hair is falling out. I was washing it and pulled out two handfuls." I whispered through my tears.

"I'm sorry, dear. What do you want to do?" Carlisle asked.

"I don't know. I guess I should just shave it all but then everyone will wonder." I said softly.

"Maybe you should tell them. He would help you. He loves you." Esme whispered as the door opened and everyone came out. I quickly wiped my tears and walked over to the car. I looked at Edward for a moment. I could tell the that he was worried about me. It almost looked like he had love in his eyes but I wasn't sure. I turned and looked back at her.

"Maybe you are right." I said as a tear fell down my face. "But how can I know for sure?"

Then I opened the car and got into the back seat. The others looked between us for a moment and then followed me into the car. We rode to school in silence They kept looking at me. I wanted to tell them. I wanted to scream about how unfair it was. But I couldn't. I was afraid of how they would react. It hurt to even think about them rejecting me. Instead I sat there and let my tears fall.

"Bella, what's wrong?" whispered Alice.

"Nothing." I lied as the tears poured from my face.

"Something is wrong, Bella." snapped Emmett.

"What if there is? What are you going to fucking do about it?" I snapped back.

"Bella, we want to help you but you have to tell us what is wrong." said Edward.

"ARE YOU GOING TO FIX ME, EDWARD? ARE YOU GOING TO SAVE ME? YOU CAN'T HELP ME. DON'T YOU FUCKING GET IT, I'M ALL ALONE." I screamed with tears pouring out of my eyes as we pulled into the parking lot.

They all stared at me like I was crazy. I quickly got out of the car without saying a word to anyone. Rose and Jasper tried to stop me but I just ran past them. I went to my locker and sent a text to Garrett.

_Hair is falling out. Need help please.-B _

I fell to my knees and just started bawling. Everyone was staring at me as I sat on the floor and cried into my knees. A few moments later Garrett ran up to me. He pulled me into his arms and started to lead me to an empty classroom. I started bawling harder as soon as his arms were around me. From the corner of my eye I saw Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Ben, Angela, Kate and Edward watching us. I could tell they were all concerned about why I was crying. Edward took a step toward me but Garrett shook his head no. Edward just frowned, turned and stormed away. Once we were inside the small room. Garrett pulled me onto his lap. He held me as I spent the next two hours crying. Peter came in looking for us to make sure we were ok but understood that we needed to be alone. Finally, I was able to stop the tears. I pulled back from his embrace.

"What do I do now? Shave it all off?"

"Is that what you want?" asked Garrett.

"I think so but I am afraid that everyone is going to stare at me. I am not sure I am ready for that but I don't think I have a choice anymore."

"Bella, they all care about you just like Kate and I do. He will help you. He loves you." whispered Garrett.

"How can I know that he loves me? What if I open my heart to him and he rejects me?" I asked softly.

"Look into his eyes and you can see it. They all care about you."

"I guess I need to tell them today. If I am going to be shaving my head."

"If you want Kate will shave it for you. She did mine. She has the clippers here at school. I know she will do it when you are ready."

"That would be nice. When can she do it?"

Garrett sent her a quick text message and she said she would come during 4th period. We told her to meet us in the nurse's office. When the bell rang ending the third period. Garrett and I made out way out of the empty classroom. As we walked down the hall together I could hear people whispering that we were having an affair. I could feel Garrett chuckle next to me as he heard them whispering about us to. Just before we go to the nurse's office I saw Edward frowning at us. I looked into his eyes and thought I saw love looking back at me. I stopped and ran up to him. I threw my arms around him and pulled him into a big hug. I felt him wrap his arms around me gently.

"I promise to tell you everything at lunch." I whispered.

With out giving him a chance to respond I turned and walked away with Garrett. We went into the nurse's office and Kate was already waiting for us. I called Renee and told her I was shaving my head. She told the nurse it was ok. I sat down on a chair in the middle of the room and closed my eyes. I felt Kate shaving my hair off and I let the tears fall. Once she was done, they helped me scoop all the hair up and put it on a bag. I wanted to keep it. I stood slowly and looked in the mirror. I couldn't help but chuckle at my bald white head. Kate came over and handed me a black bandana. She helped my tie it onto my head as the bell for lunch rang.

We thanked the nurse and quietly made our way to the cafeteria. The halls were pretty empty since everyone was at lunch. As soon as I stepped into cafeteria everyone stopped talking and turned to look at me. I felt the blush rise on my cheeks as I went and grabbed an apple and bottle for lunch. Garrett and Kate chuckled next to me as everyone stared at us. I couldn't help but join them. We took our lunch and went to sit at our table. They were all staring at me with their mouths hanging wide open as we sat down.

"Bella, why the fuck did you shave your head?" demanded Emmett.

"Because my hair was failing out." I said softly.

"Why was your hair falling out?" asked Alice. I opened my mouth to answer but I found it hard to get the words out.

"Bella, you can tell us anything." said Rose softly. Garrett and Kate reached over and grabbed my hands to encourage me.

"I'm dying."


	13. Chapter 13

"What do you mean your dying?" Edward whispered.

"A little over three months ago I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. I had been feeling like shit for a few weeks. I was really tired even though I was sleeping like 16hrs a day. Then I woke up one morning running a really high fever. After spending a few days trying to get the fever to break my parents took me to the hospital. They admitted me and ran a few test. I was diagnosed with leukemia. I spent two months in radiation therapy but it didn't help. I have only gotten worse. So my doctor in Phoenix said we should contact Carlisle. He told us that he is the best oncologist in the country. So Charlie and Renee called him. He had them fax over all of my medical records. He said that he thought he could help me but that meant we had to move. So we up and moved here so Carlisle can treat me. We had no idea that we were moving in next to you when we moved here. I am so scared. I don't want to die. I love you so much. I don't want to lose you." I whispered through my tears.

I heard everyone at the table gasp but I couldn't look at them. My eyes were fixed on Edwards while I told them everything. I felt the tears pour down my face as I got up and ran from the room. I had just stepped out of the door when I felt someone throw their arms around me. I turned around and saw Edward pulling me into his chest. He had tears falling down his face. We fell to our knees and cried together.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was afraid." I whispered.

"What were you afraid of?"

"I was afraid I would lose you. I…"

"You what?"

"I'm in love with you, Edward. I know you don't feel the same-" I started but I was interrupted when Edward pressed his lips to mine softly.

"I'm in love with you to, Bella. I have been since the day I met you. Please let me help you." he whispered softly.

I nodded my head softly. Edward stood up with me in his arms and carried me back into the cafeteria. He carried me back to the table and sat me in his lap. I looked around and noticed that everyone had tears pouring down their faces.

"You ok, Bella?" said Garrett.

"Yes, I am great now. Do they know about you?"

"Yeah, I told them." he said softly. Kate reached over an kissed him softly. I could tell it was hard for her to sit there and watch him go through that.

"What about you, Garrett?" asked Edward.

"I have leukemia too. Bella and I have our chemo treatments together. Kate has been trying to help us through them. I'm sorry I never told you but it was hard." he whispered.

"I know, man. Let me know if we can do anything." said Edward.

"Why didn't either of you tell us?" cried Alice. Jasper had her wrapped in his arms rubbing her back.

"At first, I didn't want your pity. The few friends I had in Phoenix that knew about the leukemia tiptoed around me all the time. But once I got to know you all, to love you all, I was afraid you would be mad at me for not telling you sooner. Then I woke up this morning, I was washing my hair and I pulled out two handful of my hair. I broke down. I sent a text to Garrett and he convinced me that I needed to tell you all."

"I didn't want your pity either. I was easy for me to pretend everything was ok, when I could be normal. I could hide better than Bella could." whispered Garrett as a tear slipped from his eye.

"Garrett, Bella, we are here for you. You two aren't alone in this." said Jasper.

"You can't do this alone. We need to be there for you both." said Angela.

"That's what family does." whispered Emmett. I looked up at him and noticed he was fighting the tears in his eyes.

"We need you too, big brother." I whispered as I went around and pulled him into my arms. He let go and sobbed in to me.

Just then my alarm went off reminding me to go take my pill. I motioned for Rose to take my place. She gave me a gentle smile and pulled him into her arms. Garrett and I turned to face the others.

"We have to go take our medicine." I explained.

I turned to walk away when I felt Edward slip his arm around my waist. I leaned into him. I knew right then that he was going to be there for me forever. I noticed that Garrett had Kate in his arms to. I smiled at them. We made our way to the nurse's office. Garrett and I went in and took our pills. We went back out and walked with our loved ones to Biology. I could still feel everyone staring at me but I tried to ignore it. We walked in and sat at our tables. A few moments later, Lauren and Jessica came to stand next to me.

"Wow, Bella, nice look. I hear the lesbian look is totally in right now." sneered Lauren. I felt Edward tense next to me. I reached over and grabbed his hand.

"I guess you should go read about how the trashy whore look isn't in. You really could use a new look." I snapped.

"It is really pathetic that you are had to shave your head to get Edward's attention." smirked Jessica.

"No, what is pathetic is that you feel the need to come over and bother my girlfriend." said Edward. I turned and gave him a big smile when he called me his girlfriend.

They merely gave us a disgusted look and went to their table. I could hear Garrett and Kate chuckling behind me. I turned and looked at them and we all laughed together. Just then Mr. Banner came in. He chuckled a little at my new look and started class. Class went by pretty quickly and the bell finally rang. As we were walking out the door, Mr. Banner stopped me.

"I like the new look, Bella." he said with a chuckle.

"Thanks, I decided it was time to embrace my new life in the dahlia lama."

"Good idea." he chuckled as we walked out of the classroom.

We laughed all the way to our music class. We went in and I sat down in the back of the classroom. Peter came in. He looked at me and came over and sat next to me. He handed me sign up sheet for the Seattle competition. He had already filled out the form for me. I just needed to sign it and choose which instrument I wanted to play.

"Bella, there is no reason why you can't do this." he said softly.

"But-" I started. But Kate interrupted me.

"No, Bella, he is right. You have to much talent to hide behind the leukemia." she said.

"But-"

"There is nothing stopping you but your own fear." said Edward.

"What if I get sicker? I don't want to waste time preparing for it then not be able to perform." I whispered.

"You can go the rest of your life living in fear of the what ifs, but you can't let it win. You should enter the contest." said Garrett.

"I know you are right." I said softly as I signed the form. "I guess all I can do is try."

"That's my girl." said Peter. He took the form from me. "Which instrument are you going to play?"

"The cello." I said softly.

He marked the form for me and went to mail it with the other's forms. Edward was going to play with piano. Kate was going to play the violin. Garrett was going to play piano also. Peter encouraged us to use the music room to practice in. The bell rang and we all headed out to our lockers. As I walked up to my locker, I noticed Jasper, Alice, Emmett, Ben, Angela and Rose waiting for us. As soon as we got to them they pulled Garrett and I into their arms and hugged us tight. They told us they would see us later. I grabbed my jacket and books from my locker and Edward walked me outside to the Renee's car. He opened the front door for me but I told him no. I opened the back door and climbed in. I pulled him in next to me.

"I take it he knows." chuckled Renee.

"Knows what?" asked Edward in mocked innocence. I chuckled when the color drained from Renee's face.

"I… she…I mean…" stammered Renee. We both started laughing as she stumbled over her words.

"Relax Mom, Garrett and I told Edward, Emmett, Jasper, Alice , Rose, Angela and Ben at lunch."

"You two are horrible. How did everyone take the news?"

"They were surprised, shocked and upset but they didn't pity us. I think they are going to be ok."

"Love, they are going to be fine." said Edward. Renee smiled as she heard Edward call me love.

"Go ahead and ask, Mom. I know you are dying to ask me." I said as I rolled my eyes.

"I am taking it that you two are together now." said Renee.

"Yes, we are." I said softly as I leaned into Edward's embrace.


	14. Chapter 14

Renee pulled the car up and Edward and I climbed out. I looked back at Renee but she said she would pick us up in an hour. She was going to let Edward stay with me. I gave her a fast hug. Edward and I went up to Carlisle's office and checked in. We went and sat next to Garrett and Kate. We only had to wait a few minutes before Carmen called me and Garrett back. We followed her and laid down on our usual beds. Carlisle came in and chuckled when he saw my new lack of hair.

"I know that when you left for school this morning, you had more hair than that."

"After I had minor breakdown, I decided to embrace the inevitable and shaved it off. We also told Edward and everyone about being sick." I said softly.

"I see. How did they react?"

"They were shocked but they understand now why I have been the way I have. Edward came with me today." I said with a smile. Carlisle just looked at me with a growing smile.

"That's great to hear. Let's get started."

Carlisle hooked up our IV's and walked out. A few minutes later the door opened and Edward and Kate walked in. We looked at them surprised until we saw Carlisle standing behind them with a big smile. I smiled at him as Edward pulled a chair next to me and reached out and grabbed my hand. He closed the door softly.

"He has never let anyone back here with us before." I mentioned.

"He told us that he thought it was time he did." snickered Kate. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"So Kate, did you hear about the affair Bella and I are having?" smirked Garrett.

"Oh yes, Tanya came up to me and told me that she saw the two of you going at in in the janitor's closest." she said rolling her eyes.

"Really, I heard it was under the bleachers." snickered Edward.

"Wow, Garrett, we got around a lot today." I laughed.

"Apparently. Guess that explains why I am so tired." he smirked.

We all started laughing. We continued to joke and tease each other for the rest of the hour. Carlisle finally came in and took out our IV's. Garrett and Kate gave us hug before they left. Edward and I turned to leave but Carlisle put his hand on our shoulders. We turned back to find him with tears swimming in this eyes.

"I just wanted to tell you how happy I am for both of you." he whispered. I let go of Edward's hand and pulled Carlisle into a hug.

"Thank you for bringing me to him." I whispered in his ear before I pulled back.

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and walked with me out to the waiting room. Instead of Renee waiting for us, Esme was sitting there. She stood up and smiled as we walked towards her.

"Renee had to stay at the coffee shop for awhile. So she called and asked me to pick you guys up. They are going to be working late trying to get it ready to open in the morning so she thought you should stay with us tonight." she explained.

"Ok, I just need to grab some cloths."

"I sent Alice over. I hope you don't mind but I thought it might make her feel useful."

"Its fine. Thank you Esme." I said as we got into her Mercedes.

Edward and I got in the back seat together. He pulled me into his arms as I leaned my head on his chest. We rode in silence to their house. We climbed out and Edward led me into the house. As soon as we stepped in, I felt the nausea hit. I took off and ran to the bathroom. Edward followed me and got me a wet wash rag to clean my face. I sat there for several minutes empting my stomach. Finally my stomach stopped turning. Edward swept me into his arms and carried me out to the living room. Alice and Emmett were watching TV. They tried not to look concerned when Edward sat down on the couch with me on his lap but I could tell they were. After just a few minutes I had to run back to the bathroom. I continued this all night. Edward was with me all night. He just held me and whispered how much he loved me. I finally managed to get some sleep.

I woke up the next morning tired but I was still determined to go to school. Alice helped me in and out of the shower. She helped me pull on my black peasant skirt and black sweater. She had a red and black scarf that she helped me put in my head. It was a warm day so I slipped on my black ballet flats. We went downstairs and found the others in the kitchen. As soon as I smelled the food, I ran back to the bathroom. Edward once again held me as I dry heaved into the toilet. Finally I was done and Edward helped me out to the car. Emmett tried to insist that I ride in the front but I refused. I sat in the back with Alice. We made plans to go shopping during the weekend for more scarves.

We pulled up to the school and Edward helped me out of the car. We made our way to our lockers. I set my jacket inside when the smell of cheap cologne hit me. I turned and found Mike Newton standing in front of me. He opened his mouth to say something but I had to run to the bathroom. I made it just in time. I felt Rose come up behind me and rub my back. She handed me a wet paper towel so I could clean my face.

"You ok?" she asked gently.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you for your help. His cologne smells like shit."

"I could smell it from across the hall. It made me nauseous." she chuckled.

"Glad it wasn't just me." I said as I stood up slowly. "Rose, are you ok?"

"Yes, I am. I know I was quiet yesterday. I just didn't want to overwhelm you. I think you are incredible brave, Bella." she said softly.

"Thank you, Rose. It was a bit overwhelming yesterday." I said.

We left the bathroom and I got to English just as the bell rang. I had just taken may seat when the door opened and a freshman came in and handed Mr. Owens a note. He quickly read it and looked up at me.

"Bella, Eleazar needs to speak to you in the office. You had better take you things." he said softly.

"Ok."

I got up, gathered my things and walked out of the classroom. I walked down to the office trying to figure out what he needed to speak to me about. I opened the door to the office and found Garrett sitting there to. I looked at him and he just shrugged his shoulders. The door to Eleazar's office opened and I saw my parents sitting into there with two other people. Eleazar motioned for Garrett and I to join them

"Mom? Dad?" Garrett and I said at the same time.

"Garrett, Bella, please have a seat." asked Eleazar. We did as we were asked. "I have had several phone calls since school let out yesterday afternoon about your new hair cut, Bella. It would seem that many students went home and told their parents that you went crazy and shaved your head. They were concerned about why we would let this happened. I don't think we have a choice but to address the student body. I think we need to tell them about your conditions. Garrett, I know you have been able to hide yours easier than Bella can but I think it would be good for them to know about you to. Some of the students made comments about the two of you having an inappropriate relationship on school grounds. I have talked to your parents and they agree that the choice has to be yours to make."

"Wow." I said. I wasn't prepared to share this information with anyone else yet. I looked at Garrett and he looked sad. "Garrett, what do you think?"

"I think he's right. As much as I hate to think about how they will react I think we need to tell them." he said softly.

"I guess we will tell them then." I said.

"We have set up an assembly for after lunch. It might help if you were the ones who told them. Are you willing to do this?" said Eleazar.

"I am." said Garrett.

"I am to." I whispered softly.

"On a personal note, I am very proud of the way both of you have handled yourselves at school."

"Thank you," we said together with a chuckle.

"I will give you a moment alone with your parents." said Eleazar as he stood up and walked out.

"Bella, this is James and Victoria, my parents. Mom and Dad this is Bella. These are her parents, Charlie and Renee."

"It's nice to meet you both." I said.

"We've heard a lot about you Bella, from both Garrett and Kate. The pleasure is ours." said Victoria.

"Are you sure you both are ready to tell the school?" asked James.

"Mr. Mitchell, I think we have to." I said.

"Please call us James and Victoria." said James.

After a few minutes of reassuring them that we would be ok, we were allowed to leave the office. Garrett went into the opposite direction that I did. I had to make a quick stop in the bathroom. I was able to get myself together in time for Spanish. I slowly made my way into class. Everyone stopped talking and turned to look at me. I could feel the blush rise on my cheeks as I took my seat next to Emmett.

"So Bella, I hear you and Garrett are being suspended for having sex at school." whispered Emmett with a chuckle.

"No way, they are holding an assembly where Garrett and I have to give every one pointers on how to get each other off. I would take notes if I was you." I smirked under my breathe.

Emmett laughed loudly. Everyone turned to look at him. I couldn't help laughing with him. Senora Goff decided that was a good time to start class. She seemed to be trying to stop her own chuckle from escaping. For the next hour we went over our notes for the exam we were having the next day. About half way through class, felt my stomach turn. I stood up to run out and my foot caught on my desk. Emmett swept me up in his arms and ran me out of the classroom. He took me to the bathroom and pushed the door open for me. I made it to the toilet and vomited several times. I was finally able to clean myself up. I walked out of the bathroom and Emmett pulled me back up into his arms.

"You ok now, sister?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, Em, I feel better. Thanks for helping me get out of class fast. I didn't want to throw up in front of everyone." I whispered.

"I didn't want to see that either. I mean, that's just nasty. Although, I am sure Yorkie or Newton would have helped you." he snickered.

"Ew, I don't want to even think about that." I chuckled as we reached the classroom.

Emmett pulled the door open and walked us in. Everyone stopped talking and looked at me. He just ignored them and took me back to me seat. Senora Goff got their attention focused back on their work. Once they busy, she walked over and placed a bottle of cold water on the desk for me. I looked up and thanked her as I took a sip. We continued to work on our assignment until Eleazar came over the loud speaker.

"We will be having an assembly right after lunch. All students are expected to meet in the gym at the start of 5th period. Thank you."

Emmett looked at me with wide eyes as I smirked and told him I told you so. We walked out and met Rose in the hallway. We slowly made our way to the cafeteria. But instead of going in they pulled me past it. They lead me to the music room. I walked in and found Peter, Garrett, Kate, Alice, Jasper, Ben, Angela and Edward sitting on the floor in the middle of the room. I slowly walked over and sat next to Edward.

"They thought it might be easier for you and Garrett if you didn't have to smell all the food in the cafeteria. I told them you could use my room." said Peter.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because when I was going through chemo, my music teacher let me sit in her classroom. I really helped me." He said softly. He then stood up and walked out of the room. I looked at everyone and then simply shrugged their shoulders. They were just as confused as I was.


	15. Chapter 15

"Garrett told us about the assembly. Are you nervous?" asked Alice.

"Yes I am. It is going to be hard to stand in front of everyone like that." I said softly.

"Bella, you weren't serious about the assembly were you." bellowed Emmett. Everyone looked at him confused about why he was so upset.

"Em, they are holding the assembly so that Garrett and I can tell everyone about the leukemia. Apparently some of the students went home yesterday and told their parents about my new do. Eleazar got a lot of phone calls. He thinks it will be helpful if we set them all straight."

"Oh, that is much better than the other one." he chuckled.

"What other one?" asked Edward.

I filled them in on what I told Emmett. They all laughed so hard they were crying. Our alarms went off so Garrett, Kate, Edward and I went down to the nurses office. Garrett and I took our pills and slowly made our way to the gym with Edward and Kate. We quickly kissed them goodbye before they went to sit with the rest of our friends. We sat on the front row of the bleachers. After a few minutes the gym was filled with not only students but a lot of their parents. I saw Charlie, Renee, Carlisle and Esme sitting with James and Victoria. Eleazar stood up and approached the mike that was standing in the middle of the gym.

"Last night and this morning, I received several phone call from concerned parents about the behaviors of two of our students. I tried to reassure them that it wasn't what they believed but they weren't convinced to drop the issue. So after speaking with the two students involved, and their parents this morning, the decision was made that they should explain what is going on. Please be patience and give Bella and Garrett a chance to explain."

Garrett and I slowly made our way to the mike. Garrett made to speak first but I stopped him. I took the mike in my hand and took a deep breath.

"A little over three months ago, while I was still living in Arizona, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Our doctor there put us in touch with Dr. Cullen, who is know for his aggressive treatment in juvenile leukemia. My parents and I made the choice to move to Forks so I could be treated. When I first came to this school, just a couple weeks ago, I was welcomed by several student. I started chemotherapy two weeks ago. Yesterday morning I woke and discovered that my hair had started falling out because of the chemo. Garrett and I have become friends. He and Kate Denali helped me shave my head instead of waiting for it to fall out. We did this in the nurse's office after I received permission from my parents. Garrett and I are just friend."

I handed the mike to Garrett. He gave me a small hug and then turned to face our fellow students. I looked up and our friends and saw that they were smiling at us. I smiled back as Garrett began to speak.

"I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia nearly six months ago. I had just started my fourth round of chemo, when I ran into Bella at Dr. Cullen's office. We quickly became friends. Kate has helped us both in the last couple weeks. Bella needed my support yesterday. I gave it to her. She and I have been afraid to tell anyone, except those who are closest to us, about our conditions because we don't want you all to pity us. We are both fighting to save our lives. We hope we both can count on your support."

Garrett placed the mike back on the stand, grabbed my hand and lead me out of the gym. I hear several students sobbing as we walked out. Garrett and I went to the music room. We found Peter sitting at the piano playing Debussy.

"That was beautiful." I said as he played the last note.

"Thank you. How did the assembly go?" he asked gently.

"It went as good as can be expected." said Garrett.

"Why didn't you go?" I asked.

"It wasn't any of my business. Neither one of you should have had to explain your friendship or health to anyone."

"Peter, when did you get sick?" I asked gently. Peter turned and looked at me for a moment.

"I was 16 when I was diagnosed with a stage four lung cancer. Both of my parents smoked three packs a day since before I was born. They tried to surgically remove as much as they could but they weren't able to remove it all. I spent the next year in chemotherapy before I went into remission. I spent everyday in a school with children who felt sorry for me. I would walk into the cafeteria and they would just stare at me. After a few weeks of this, my music teacher told me to just come into her classroom. I spent everyday in her room playing the piano. That is why I pushed you to enter the contest in Seattle. Music will help you be able to focus on something other than the leukemia. Of course, I didn't have the support of friends the way you two do. You are very lucky."

"We are lucky. We are lucky to have them and you." I said softly as the door to the classroom opened. Edward and Kate all walked in.

"What happened after we left?" I asked Edward when he sat next to me.

"Eleazar got back up and reminded us that you both need all of our support. Carlisle got up and explained that you weren't contagious. He explained that the chemo makes your bodies weaker but that you are both able to function. A lot of the students were upset and pretty emotional." said Edward.

"Oh yeah, Bella, I think you should expect Mike to be even more persistent. He seemed rather upset. I heard him tell Tyler Crowley that he was going to nurse you back to health." snickered Kate.

"That's just what I need." I groaned as I hid my face in Edward's chest. I could feel him chuckle.

We spent the rest of the hour trying to decide which pieces we were wanting to play for the competition. I had narrowed my choices down to three pieces that I had written. I played all three pieces for them but decided to work on them all before making the final decision. The bell rang and we gathered our things and went to our lockers. I noticed a lot of people were staring at us while we were getting our things. I noticed Mike coming towards me, so I grabbed Alice's hand and ran into the ladies room. She looked panicked for a moment.

"Sorry, I just am trying to avoid Mike. I heard he is planning on nursing me back to health." I explained with a shudder.

"Oh, I understand. I will cover for you anytime." said Alice. She stuck her head to see if it was clear. "Ok, he's gone.

We walked out of the bathroom and met the others back at our lockers. Edward looked concerned about me but I reassured him I was ok. We went out to the car and said good bye to Garrett, Kate, Ben and Angela. Rose and Jasper were going over to the Cullen's so they followed us. But we decided to stop by the coffee shop first. They opened the doors this morning, So I knew they would be busy. We pulled in front of Swan's Coffee and went inside. The place was packed. I waved to Charlie and Renee as I lead the others to a large table in the back. We all sat down and enjoyed watching everyone enjoying the coffee. After a few minutes Charlie came over to our table. I jumped up and hugged him.

"Hey kid, how are you feeling?" asked Charlie.

"I'm pretty tired today. Looks like business is going good. Dad, this is Rose and Jasper Hale. Guys, this is my dad, Charlie.

"Its nice to meet you both. Bella has told me a lot about you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Swan." said Rose.

"Please call me Charlie. I had better get back to work. I'll send over some coffee's. What do you want?"

We gave him our orders and a few minutes later Renee brought them over. Edward tried to pay for them but she refused his money. I introduced Rose and Jasper to her . She insisted that they call her Renee. Renee and Charlie said they would be home in a couple hours, so we took our coffee to go. We got back to the house and I followed Edward into his house. We were all gathered on the couch watching a movie.

I must have fallen asleep pretty quickly because the next thing I knew, I was waking up on the couch. It was dark outside and I heard people talking it in the dining room. I got up and stumble sleepily into the dining room. I was surprised to find Charlie and Renee sitting there with the Cullen's and Rose and Jasper. Sitting nest to them were two people I have never met before. I stumbled a little as I fell into the chair next to Edward. He reached out and wrapped his arm around me and I leaned my head on his shoulder.

"Bella, you ok?" asked Carlisle concerned.

"No, I'm really tired."

"More than usual?" he asked coming around to look at me.

"Yeah, I was fine earlier but suddenly I can't seem to keep my eyes open." I slurred as my eyes started dropping. Carlisle started pulling my eyes open so he could look at them.

"Charlie, go get the car. We need to take her to the hospital." I heard Carlisle say as I found the darkness again.


	16. Chapter 16

..

I rolled over to hit the snooze button on my alarm but I felt someone stop me. I slowly opened my eyes and found Edward holding my hands. I slowly looked around and saw that I was in the hospital.

"What's going on?" I whispered.

"Your in the hospital, love." said Edward. He let go of my hands and went and opened the door to my room. "She's awake."

He came back and moments later my door opened again and Charlie, Renee, Esme and Carlisle came into my room. Carlisle came over and started checking my vitals.

"What happened?" I asked.

"We admitted you last night. You were anemic. I have been giving you some iron through your IV. Do you remember anything?" asked Carlisle.

"I remember coming home with Edward and falling asleep on the couch. I woke up a little while later and joined you all in the dining room. I think I fell asleep again. The next thing I know I am in here." I explained.

"Bella, you have been asleep for 24hrs. Its 10pm on Wednesday." said Carlisle. "Are you still tired?"

"Not nearly as bad as I was." I said.

"We are going to keep you in here until the morning. We gave you chemo treatment while you were sleeping." said Carlisle. "We are going to go and let you get some more rest."

Edward went to release my hand but I gripped it tighter. "Can Edward please stay with me?" I begged.

Carlisle looked at Charlie and Renee. They nodded their heads yes. They looked exhausted. I bet they haven't slept at all.

"Sure, but he has to go to school tomorrow. So I will bring him some cloths to change into in the morning. Get some rest, dear." said Carlisle kissing my forehead.

"I will. Mom, Dad, go home and sleep. You both look like crap." I said. They just chuckled at me.

"We are, smartass." said Charlie as he gave me a quick hug and kiss. He looked up and Edward. "Take care of my girl, Edward."

"I will, Charlie." whispered Edward.

Renee and Esme both hugged us goodbye and finally left Edward and me alone. I scooted in my bed and pulled in with me. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me in to his chest.

"Are you ok, Edward?" I asked softly.

"I am now. I will admit I was kind of scared." he said with a thick voice.

"How are the others?"

"Emmett and Alice were both pretty torn up all day about it. Jasper and Rose managed to calm them down. Garrett and Kate were ok. They told us they have been though this before. Angela and Ben were upset also but they all came by after school and checked on you."

"How was school today?" I asked.

"It was horrible. Mike and Eric hounded me all morning for an update on you. It got old pretty fast. Lauren and Jessica made a couple hateful comments about you doing all this for attention. Kate, Alice, Angela and Rose set them straight for me. Peter came by after school also."

"Sounds like a crappy day. Thank you for staying." I whispered softly.

"Bella, I am never leaving you. I love you." he whispered into my hair.

"I love you, Edward." I slurred as I fell back to sleep.

I woke up several time throwing up. Every time Edward held my hand and told me it was going to be ok. After the fifth time, he held me while I cried. He told me the story about how he and Emmett dyed all if Alice's cloths black. She went in to get dressed and screamed when all she has were black t-shirts and black pants. She ran downstairs and told Esme and Carlisle but they thought it was pretty funny. They kept expecting Alice to pull a prank on them but she never did. I laughed until I started throwing up again. We finally managed to get a few hours of sleep. I woke up when I heard someone open my door. I looked up and saw Carlisle watching us sleeping with our arms wrapped around each other.

"How are you feeling today?" whispered Carlisle.

"I'm ok. I was up a lot last night. Every time I fell asleep the nausea hit me again." I whispered.

"I know its rough, Bella. I wish I could make it easier for you." whispered Carlisle.

"Edward helps. He tells me stories. It helps." I whispered.

"Edward, you need to get up, son." said Carlisle gently shaking Edward. Edward shot up and jumped out of the bed. I couldn't help but laugh as he looked from me to Carlisle and back. "Everything's ok, but you need to get ready for school."

Edward took the bag from Carlisle and went into the bathroom to change.

"So when I am getting out of here?" I asked eagerly.

"As soon as Edward is ready. We will drop him off at school then I will take you home."

"Can't I go to school?" I begged.

"No, you need to go home and rest. You aren't allowed back at school until Monday." chuckled Carlisle as I pouted. "It won't work, Bella. Alice is my daughter I am immune to the pout."

"Darn it, foiled again." I said in mock shock.

Edward came out looking very nice in a pair of tight jeans and a tight fitted t-shirt. Carlisle handed me a bag with my own cloths in it and I started to get out of bed. Carlisle and Edward both left and a few moments later Alice came in.

"Morning, Bella. Carlisle thought you could use my help getting dressed."

"That would be nice, Alice." I said.

She helped me stand up and pull off hospital gown. She helped me pull on a white cotton bra, and a clean pair of panties. She pulled out a white t-shirt and a pair of black yoga pants.

"Bella, I just want you to know that I am really happy about you and Edward." she said as she helped me pull on my t-shirt.

"Thanks Alice. I love him more than I ever thought I could love anyone." I whispered as I pulled up my pants. I sat on the bed so Alice could help me put on my shoes and socks.

"Bella, he loves you to. I saw it the day we met you. You lit a spark in him. I hate that you are sick but I am thankful that it brought you to us." said Alice softly. She finished putting on my shoes and socks. I stood up and pulled her into my arms.

"Alice, I love you too. I finally have a sister." I whispered as the tears fell down my face. Just then the door opened and Carlisle and Edward came back in.

"Is everything ok here?" asked Carlisle.

"Yes, I was just having a moment with my sister." I whispered. I saw Edward and Carlisle both grin at my statement. They had become just as much of my family as Charlie and Renee were.

Carlisle went out and pulled a wheelchair in. I grumbled about having to ride in it but he told me to suck it up. Edward pushed me to the elevator and we all climbed in. Edward and I waited in the lobby while Carlisle and Alice went to get his Mercedes. Edward insisted that I ride in the front. After arguing about it I finally got in the front seat next to Carlisle. He drove Edward and Alice to school. He pulled up on front of the school. Edward and Alice got. Edward came around to my side and I rolled the window down. He gave me quick kiss and told me he would see me after school. I saw Emmett, Rose, Ben, Angela, Garrett, Kate, and Jasper standing by the front doors. I waved at them and they waved back. I rolled my window back up and Carlisle drove me home. Charlie and Renee were at the coffee shop so Esme was going to stay at my house with me. Carlisle pulled up to the house and helped me get in to the house with out falling. Esme came out of the kitchen.

"Bella, how are you feeling?" she asked gently.

"I am pretty tired. I think I am going to take a quick shower and go back to bed." I said.

"Ok, dear. Let me help you upstairs." said Esme.

Carlisle gave us a quick hug and left. He had to go back to work. Esme helped me up the stairs. She started the shower for me. She left and I stripped out of my cloths. I took the scarf off of my head and stepped into the shower. I let the hot water run over my head and shoulders. I could feel my muscles relax. I quickly washed my body but didn't bother shaving. I turned off the water and quickly dried off. I slipped on a pair of blue panties, my pajama pants and a blue t-shirt. I crawled in to bed and fell into a quick sleep.

I dreamed I was standing in the middle of a large dance floor. People were dancing all around me but I was standing there alone. I was wearing a green dress. My hair was flowing down my back. I suddenly felt two arms circle my waist. I turned and found myself in Edward's arms. He pulled me close and we began to dance. As he twirled us around the dance floor, I laughed and smile with out a care in the world. I saw my friends and family dancing around us. We were all so peaceful and happy. All of the sudden, Edward pushed me away. I reached for him but he stepped back. I looked around me and everyone was glaring at me. I reached up and tried to run my fingers in my hair but it was gone. I fell to my knees and screamed.


	17. Chapter 17

"Bella, honey, wake up." said Esme shaking me slightly. My opened my eyes and realized that I was really screaming. I had tears pouring down my face.

"Please don't let him leave me. I need him." I cried as I clung on to Esme's arms.

"He's not going to leave you. He loves you, Bella." she soothed as I let my tears fall.

"I love him so much. I don't want to die. I just found him." I whispered.

"Oh, Bella, never give up. You are strong enough to win." she cried. I felt her tears fall and hit my head.

I am not sure how long we sat there and cried. Eventually I fell back asleep. I had the same nightmare only this time everyone started calling me names. I woke up a few hours later with two arms holding me tight. I looked around and saw Edward laying on my bed with me. He had pulled me into his arms and was watching me sleep. He had a sad look on his face.

"Did you know you talk in your sleep?' he whispered. I did know that. I was worried about what I said.

"Yes. What did I say?" I whispered back.

"You begged me not to leave you. You were crying and begging me to come back."

"Oh"

"Want to tell me about it?" he asked softly.

"I dreamed that we were at some kind of dance. At first I was standing there alone. I was watching everyone dance around me. We were all so happy and carefree. Suddenly you wrapped your arms around me and we started dancing. My hair had grown back and it was flying behind me. Then you pushed me away. Everyone stopped dancing and started glaring at me. I reached out for you but you walked away. I reached up and all my hair was gone. I fell to my knees screaming for you to come back." I whispered softly.

"Love, I am not going anywhere. You are stuck with me forever. You are going to fight this. No, we are going to fight this. I love you." he whispered.

"I love you to but I can't help but wonder why you love me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you are so perfect and I am so damaged. You are beautiful and I am a bald sick freak." I whispered sadly.

"Bella, look at me." he demanded. I slowly looked up into his eyes. I saw that he had tears pouring down his face. "I love you because you are beautiful, kind, funny and clever. You are selfless and strong. You are witty and sexy. I love everything about you."

"I love everything about you too, Edward." I said as I kissed him softly.

We laid there and kissed for several minutes before we were interrupted by a knock on the door. I groaned slightly when Edward broke our kiss. He chuckled as he went to open the door to Garrett and Kate. I sat up slightly and smiled at them.

"Hey guys, come on in."

"How you feeling?" ask Garrett.

"Tired but much better. How about you?"

"Not to bad really. Tired but what else is new." he chuckled.

"How was school today?" I asked. I noticed that the three of them shared a look with each other. "What?"

"It's nothing." said Kate looking at her feet.

"Someone had better tell me what the fuck is going on." I demanded.

"Lauren and Jessica spread a rumor about us at school today. It's nothing. No one believes them but they were talking about it all day." said Edward.

"What did they say?" I asked.

"They said you were tricking me into a relationship with you. They claim that you aren't really sick. That you shaved you head just to get my sympathy." said Edward. I couldn't help but laugh at those two idiots. Garrett, Kate and Edward all looked at me like I was crazy.

"I'm sorry, but man they are stupid bitches. I mean seriously, I think their parents dropped them on their heads." I snickered. They all laughed with me.

"I think you are right. Although Mike came to your defense. He said there was no way you were faking being sick. Even if you were that he would still want you." snickered Garrett.

"Ugh, That's great. Just want I need right now." I groaned.

"Bella, we have to go. We are meeting my parents for dinner. Will I see you at chemo tomorrow?" asked Garrett.

"Yes. Have a nice night. And thanks for coming by."

"Anytime Bella. See you tomorrow." said Kate.

After they left Edward carried me downstairs. I told him I could walk but he insisted. Who was I to refuse a sexy man? We went and joined Charlie in the living room. Edward sat me on the couch next to Charlie. Edward sat next to me. I laid my head on Charlie's shoulder and he wrapped an arm around me. We sat in silence for a while. Then I noticed Charlie's shoulders were shaking. I looked up at him and saw that he had tears running down his face.

"It's ok, Daddy." I soothes as I wrapped my arms around him. Edward stood up and went into the kitchen with Renee.

"I just hate to see you going through all this, Bella. You don't deserve it. You have always been such a strong person." he sobbed.

"I know. But I couldn't do this with out you. You give me the strength to keep fighting. You give me the strength to love." I whispered to him.

"He is a good man, Bella. I know he will take care of you." said Charlie kissing my forehead. He got up and went into the kitchen. A few moments later Edward came back into the room. He pulled me into his lap.

"You ok?"

"Yes, I am. He likes you." I smirked.

"Thank god for that." he chuckled. "Not that it would matter. I would still love you."

"I know but it helps."

"Bella, time for dinner. Edward, would you please join us?" said Renee from the doorway.

"I would love to, Renee." said Edward.

Edward stood up with me still in his arms and carried me into the dining room. He placed me in my chair and then went around to the other side to his eat. Charlie and Renee snickered at him for carrying me until I started to glare at them. Renee made my favorite, mushroom ravioli. I ate more than I normally did. I was sure I would regret it later but it was the first thing in a while that tasted good.

All through dinner, Charlie and Renee asked Edward questions about his plans for the future. He said he wasn't sure if he wanted to pursue medicine or music but that he planned to go to Dartmouth either way. I chuckled when Renee mention that I was planning to go to Dartmouth also. I told them I wasn't sure what I was going to study. We talked about school and classes. It was fine until Edward mentioned the competition in Seattle. I had forgotten to tell them about it.

"What competition in Seattle, Isabella?" demanded Renee.

"I forgot to mention it. It is a competition for musicians. I signed up for it last week. I am going to play my cello."

"When is it?" asked Charlie.

"End of May, about six weeks from now." I whispered.

"Bella, I think its great that you want to do this" said Renee. I looked up shocked. "What?"

"I wasn't sure if you would like it since I will still be having treatments but I really want to do it." I said.

"I think it's a great idea. Do you know what you are going to play yet?" she asked.

"No, I haven't decided yet."

"Is there some kind of prize awarded?" asked Charlie.

"Yes. The winner get a full scholarship to any college they choose." I said softly.

"Wow. Who else from your school is entering?" asked Charlie.

"Edward, Garrett and Kate." I said.

"Well, that is great. I think it will be good for you." said Charlie. "I, for one, can't wait hear you all play."

The rest of dinner went pretty quickly. Edward had to leave after he insisted on clearing the table and doing the dishes. I stepped out on the porch with him and kissed him goodbye until Charlie turned on the porch light. I could hear him laughing inside the house. Edward started chuckling to. He kissed me one more time than ran back to his house. I went inside and tried to scowl at Charlie but his big grin wouldn't let me. I went up to my room and started on my homework. Edward had gone to all of my teachers and gotten the work I had missed for the last two day plus tomorrow. I did part of it of it then got tired of it. I decided to play my cello for a while. I pulled it out of its case and sat down on my window seat. I started playing one of the pieces I was thinking about doing in Seattle. After a few minutes I heard my cell phone start ringing. I picked it up and saw that it was Edward calling. I answered it as I went over to the window. There was Edward watching me play.

"Hello."

"Bella, has anyone ever told you how sexy you are when you play the cello?"

"Um, no." I couldn't help but smile at him as I sat on the window seat.

"You get this look of utter joy on your face. It is the sexiest thing I have ever seen."

"Really? I think the same thing when I watch you play the piano. Sometimes when I can't sleep, I will hear you playing. I will sneak over here and sit here watching you play."

"I know. I can see you. I played for you every night." he whispered.

"Play for me now."

"Ok."

He set his phone down on top of his piano. He sat down and started playing a new song. It started off soft and sensual. I could feel the passion as it intensified. I watched him as he threw every bit of his love in each key. I felt my breath quicken with each stroke of the key. It was almost like he was moving his fingers a long my body. Touching and teasing me. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck, his lips grazing my jaw. His fingers caressing every curve of my body. I wanted to reach out and weave my fingers in to his hair. I wanted to pull him closer to me. I wanted to feel him make love to me the way he is with the piano. I let out a moan as Edward played the last note of this song. He picked up his phone. He was panting so loudly I felt a chill rung through my body.

"Bella."

"Yes."

"That was me making love to you. Did you feel it?"

"Yes"

"Bella?"

"Yes, Edward?"

"I love you."

"I love you to."

I blew him a kiss as I shut my phone. He pretended to catch it an placed it on his lips. He blew me a kiss back and I pretended to catch it and placed it on my lips. I went and climbed into my bed. I fell asleep quickly. Instead of nightmares, I dreamed about Edward and I making love for hours.


	18. Chapter 18

I woke up around 10am the next day. I went downstairs and found Esme sitting in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee.

"Morning Esme."

"Morning Bella. How did you sleep?"

"I slept very well. Better than I have in awhile."

"That's good. Would you like some toast?"

"Yes, please."

Esme stood up and made me two pieces of toast. She placed them on a plate and set them in front of me. She grabbed me a glass of orange juice.

"Esme, can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can, dear."

"When you were sick, did you worry about Carlisle not loving you anymore?"

"Yes I did. Not really when I was going through chemo but I worried about it when I had the mastectomy. I was worried that he wouldn't see me as the same woman he married. That he would find me disgusting. But he convinced me that I was just as beautiful as I always was."

"How?"

"He took me away for a weekend alone. We spent the entire weekend in bed. He worshipped every inch of my body. Are you worried about Edward?" she asked as she blushed softly.

"A little. I know he loves me. But I worry that when the time comes that we choose to move our relationship to that level, that he won't want me." I whispered softly.

"Bella, you need to talk to Edward about this. I will tell you this though. His entire face lights up when you walk into a room. He grins like a fool when someone mentions your name. He looks at you the same way Carlisle looks at me."

"Thank you, Esme. For everything."

"Bella, I should thank you for making Edward happy."

I spent the rest of the day finishing up my school work. Esme was going to drop me off at the Carlisle's office for my treatment. Edward was going to met me there. After I finished my homework, I went upstairs and took a long bath. It felt nice to soak in the tub for awhile. I thought about what Esme has been through. She is so strong and supportive. I know that she has been there for Renee to. It was nice to see my parents have people to lean on. We really only had each other in Phoenix. I thought about my so called friend in Phoenix. Not one of them would have protected me the way my friend here have. Not one of them would have stood up for, loved me regardless of what I was going through. I realize now that this is home because this is where my real family is.

I finally got out of the tub and dried off. I pulled on a pair of jeans. They were starting to get to be to big. I might have to buy a few new pairs. I added a white t-shirt and a pair of flip flops and went downstairs to Esme. We climbed into her car and made our way to the hospital. Once we got there I climbed out and headed up to Carlisle's office. Edward, Garret, and Kate were already there. We only had to wait a few minutes before Carmen called us back. Garrett and I took our usual beds and Kate and Edward pulled up their chairs to our bedside. Carlisle came in grinning like a made fool.

"Bella, Garrett, how are you?" said Carlisle.

"Tired" we answered at the same time then chuckled.

"I am sure you are. Well, I am going to get your IV's going then I am going to share some good news." said Carlisle. He quickly got our IV's pumping. He sat on the edge of my bed and looked up at Garrett.

"Carlisle, you are killing us with the suspense, man." said Garrett.

"Sorry, this is just the kind of days I live for as a doctor." he chuckled. "Garrett, today will be you last day of chemo. We got your test results back. You are in remission."

"Are you serious?" asked Garrett softly. Carlisle just nodded his head. Garrett pulled Kate, who was bawling, into his arms and let his own tears fall. I felt my own tears fall down my face.

"That is great news, Garrett." I said softly. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous that he was going to be ok. I felt Edward squeeze my hand. I knew he was feeling the same thing.

"It will be you next, Bella." Garrett said softly. "Just you wait."

"Bella, we are going to retest you in two weeks. You blood work is looking better but its not quite where we want it. But the treatments are working" whispered Carlisle. "We are not giving up."

"I know we aren't."

"Carlisle, have you told my parents?" whispered Garrett.

"I called them this afternoon and gave them the good news. They took it very well." said Carlisle.

"Carlisle, will Bella be able to go out with us tomorrow night to celebrate or do we need to wait?" asked Garrett. I opened my mouth to tell them to go without me but he stopped me. "Don't even think it, sister. We are not celebrating without you."

"As long as she feels up to it, she should be fine to go tomorrow night. I will be back in a little while." said Carlisle. He got up and walked out of the room.

"I'm really happy for you Garrett. It gives me hope." I whispered.

"Bella, you can do it to. I am still here for you. I promise. We are in this together." He said.

"We both are, Bella." said Kate. "We both love you so much. You are going to fight this to."

"I know. I love you both."

We sat in silence for the rest of the hour. Garrett and Kate had their arms wrapped around each other. I pulled Edward into the bed with me and laid my head on his shoulder. I really was happy for Garrett and Kate. They had both been thorough so much. Seeing them get the good news gave me hope that one day I would be sitting here getting the same news. Carlisle came in and took out our IV's. He told Garrett that he would still need to come in every month to get tested to make sure he was staying in remission. He gave us all a hug and reminded me that everything was going to be ok. We all walked out together and separated when we got downstairs. I told them again how happy I was for them. I watched them walk away with their arms wrapped around each other. Edward and I got into his car and headed home.

"Love, are you ok?"

"I'm ok. I'm a little jealous of Garrett. But I am happy for him at the same time. Does that make me an awful person?"

"No, it makes you human. I admit I was a little jealous of them too."

"Really?"

"Yes, I wish that was us. I don't like feeling like this but I wish we could go out with out having to worry about how you feel."

"I do to. I hate being sick."

"You will get through this, Bella."

"I hope so."

We drove the rest if the way in silence. We pulled in front of Edward's house. He helped me out and carried me into my house. Renee was making dinner and as soon as it hit my nose I had to make a run for the bathroom. I barely made it and Edward helped me clean up. He took me upstairs to my room and laid me on the bed. I had to get up several times and run to the bathroom. Edward was with me every time. I held on to him as I dry heaved after throwing up everything I had eaten. Around 11pm, Edward tried to leave but I begged Renee to let him stay. She agreed and called Esme to make sure it was ok. Esme said it was fine with them. They sent Emmett over with some pajamas. Edward went and changed in the guest room while Renee helped me change. I was to tired and nausea to tell her about Garrett. A few minutes later, I was curled up in a ball on the bathroom floor. I felt Edward pull me into his arms and held me as I cried from the pain in my stomach. He hummed the song he had played for me last night. After I threw up a few more times, I finally fell asleep in his arms.


	19. Chapter 19

I woke up groggy the next morning. I turned over and saw Edward sleeping soundly. I slipped out of bed and made my way downstairs. I found Charlie and Renee sitting in the living room reading the paper. They looked up and smiled at me as I climbed in the middle of them on the sofa.

"How are you this morning?" asked Renee.

"Tired and sore but I am ok."

"Where is Edward?" asked Charlie.

"He is still sleeping. He was up with me all night last night."

"He really cares for you." said Charlie.

"Garrett is in remission." I blurted out. I could feel the tears pouring down me face. "He found out yesterday. He is in remission and I was sitting there jealous because now he gets to be normal and I still have to suffer. I am happy for him but I wish it was me."

"It is normal to feel like that, sweetie." said Renee.

"I know. He wants to go out and celebrate tonight."

"Are you going to go?" asked Charlie.

"Yes. He is my best friend. He is the only one who really understands. Not only being sick but understand why I need Edward." I whispered.

I heard Edward coming down the stairs and quickly wiped the tears off my face. He came in and told me he was going to go home and get ready for tonight. I told him I would call Garrett and let him know that we were going out with them. I walked him out and he gave me a big hug and kiss. He told me he loved me and walked back to his house. I went back inside and went upstairs to my room. I grabbed my cell phone and called Garrett. I told him I felt good enough to go out with them tonight. He asked me several times if I was sure. I told him I was sure. We agreed to met him at his house at 7pm. Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Ben and Angela were also going to go out with us. They had no clue what we were celebrating. It felt nice to be in on the secret. He told me we were just going to go to dinner at this little Italian restaurant. The others were going to met us there but his parents wanted Edward and I to come by the house for minute. I told him that was fine and that I would see him later.

After I hung up the phone I took a nap. It didn't take much for me to get tired. I woke up around 5pm. I took a quick shower and out on a black and white checkered peasant skirt, a black sweater and a pair of black flats. I added a black scarf on my head and grabbed my purse and cell phone. I went downstairs and told Charlie and Renee where we were going to go. I hugged them both and they told me to tell Garrett congratulations. I promised to do so. I walked over to Edward's house. I knocked on the door and Carlisle opened it for me.

"Bella, come in. How are you feeling today?"

"I'm ok."

"I know its not easy. You look very beautiful tonight."

"Dad, stop hitting on my girlfriend." chuckled Edward from the top of the stairs. He looked so fucking hot! He was wearing a pair of tight black pants and a black button up shirt. I had the sudden urge to jump him. "Besides, beautiful isn't a strong enough word for how amazing she looks."

"Smooth Edward, very smooth." chuckled Carlisle. I couldn't stop myself. I turned and stuck my tongue out at him. That just made him laugh harder. "Oh, Bella, you make things fun here."

"That's my job, I guess." I chuckled.

"You two have a good night." said Carlisle.

Edward and I went out and got into his car. We drove over to Garrett's house and pulled up into the drive way. Edward came around and helped me out of the car. We walked up to the porch and rang the doorbell. A few moments later, Garrett pulled the door open. He had the biggest smile on his face. He pulled us into the house.

"Hey guys."

"How are you today, Garrett?" I asked.

"Great. Tired but great. How are you?"

"I'm good now. Its nice to see you so happy." I said softly as we walked into the living room.

"Hello Bella, its lovely to see you again." said Victoria.

"It's lovely to see you to, Victoria."

"We are glad you both came over tonight. We wanted to throw an idea past you." said James. I noticed that Kate and Garrett both looked very excited about what ever the idea was. "Please have a seat."

"Ok." I said sitting next to Kate in the sofa. Edward sat next to me.

"Garrett has told us what wonderful musicians you both are. Victoria and I are throwing a concert to raise money for cancer research. We were hoping that the two of you would agree to play in the concert."

"Wow, that is a great idea. I am definitely in." I said. It was a great idea. It would be nice to do something to help find a cure.

"Me to. I think it is a great idea. You should call Carlisle. I am sure he can help you get it set up." said Edward.

"We have already spoken to Carlisle. We have set the benefit concert for 3weeks from now. Can you think of anyone else to play?" said Victoria.

"Yes, Peter Davis."

James and Victorian told us that they would contact Peter. They would give us all the information in a few days. They wished me good luck with my future chemo treatments and told me they knew I was going to go into remission soon to. I thanked them for all their support and the four of us left. Garrett and Kate climbed into his black corvette. Edward and I followed them in his Volvo. A few minutes later we pulled in front of a small Italian restaurant name La Bella. I chuckled at the name. We went in and stepped up to the hostess. She turned and stared at Edward. Garrett cleared his throat to get her attention.

"We have a reservation for Mitchell."

"Oh yes, please follow me." she stammered still staring at Edward. She lead us back to a private room in the back of the restaurant. She leaned into Edward and rubbed her breast against him. I saw him cringe from the contact. "Your waiter will be right with you."

I couldn't help but chuckle and roll my eyes as she walked away. "Wow." I said. "Edward, I think you have a chance with her."

"Gross, I think I would rather not go there." chuckled Edward. We all laughed at the look on his face. Just then Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Ben, and Angela came over to our table.

"Hey guys." said Alice.

"What's up?" said Emmett as soon as he sat down. Just then our waiter came over. I choked a little when I realized it was Mike Newton.

"Welcome To La Bella. I'm Mike and I will be you server. What can I get you to drink?" he said looking down at his paper. He finally looked up and saw me sitting there. "BELLA! How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Mike. I'll take a coke."

"Ok, you look great. Are you going to be back at school on Monday?" he asked eagerly ignoring the others as they chuckled at him.

"Yeah, I'll be back."

"Cool." said Mike.

"Mike, do you want to take the rest of our drink orders or are you just going to keep flirting with my girlfriend?" chuckled Edward.

"Oh, um, sorry, What I can I get you guys to drink?" he stuttered.

Everyone ordered their drinks and took a moment to look at the menu. While we were waiting I felt my stomach turn. I got up quickly and made my way to the lady's room. I was leaning over the toilet when I felt Kate rubbing my back.

"Thank you, Kate."

"Your welcome, Bella. I hate that you still have to go through this." she whispered.

"I know but I am happy for Garrett. I wish it was both of us but we will just keep fighting." I said. I stood up and was cleaning my face when I noticed she had something shiny on her left hand. I reached out and grabbed her hand and pulled it to me. "Oh my god, is this what I think it is?"


	20. Chapter 20

"Yes, he asked me this afternoon. He told me that living through the last few months not knowing if he was going to live made him realize he can't live without me. We told his parents this evening. They were very happy for us. But I am not sure how mine will feel." she said with tears running down her face.

"I am happy for you both. Edward and I are here for you anytime."

"Thanks Bella. We had better get back out there." said Kate. She and I went back out to join the others. As we sat down I gave Garrett and big smile, letting him know that I knew about the engagement. He smiled widely at me and mouthed a thank you.

Mike came back and we all ordered. I took a chance and ordered the mushroom ravioli. I wasn't sure if I would be able to keep it down but it sounded good. After we all ordered, everyone looked back at Garrett. They had been patiently waiting for him to tell us why we were celebrating. I realized we were celebrating two wonderful things. I am sure some of them would think they were to young to be getting married but when you face death, you realize that you have to live each day to the fullest. Garrett cleared his throat and took a deep breathe. I could tell the hat he was fighting the tears that sprang up in his eyes. I reached over and grabbed his hand.

"Thank you for all coming with us tonight. Your friendships means a lot to Kate and I. The last few months have been difficult. Kate and I have faced a lot of trying times and it has helped to finally have your support as well. Yesterday at my chemo appointment, Carlisle told us that I am now in remission."

"Alright, man. That's great!" bellowed Emmett.

"That's wonderful news." said Jasper. Rose, Alice, and Angela all had tears pouring down their faces.

"We are so happy for you." they cried out together.

"Congratulations man." said Ben.

Emmett, Jasper and Ben all pulled their girlfriends into their arms. Everyone was smiling and happy for Garrett. I really tried to smile but it was hard thinking that I was still sick. I didn't realize that I was crying until I felt Garrett wrap his arms around me.

"Shh, Bella. Its going to be ok. Its your turn next." he soothed.

"I know. I am happy for you but I just can't help wish it was me." I whispered.

"I know, honey. It will be you. I know it doesn't seem fair but you will get your happy ending." he said.

For a few minutes we just sat there and cried together. I knew I was lucky to have him as my friend. I knew that no matter what he was going to be there for me. "Thank you so much."

"Your welcome, Bella. Thank you for helping me." he whispered. We pulled back and I wiped my tears off of my face. We turned and looked at the others and they were all talking amongst themselves. I leaned over and whispered in Edward's ear.

"Garrett and Kate are engaged."

"I know. Garrett told me was planning to ask her last week." he whispered in my ear.

"I am really happy for them. They really love each other."

"Yes they do. He loves her almost as much as I love you." he whispered before pulling me into his arms and kissing me.

We sat there lost in each others embrace for several minutes. Kissing Edward was like finding my way home. I always felt safe and normal when I was in his arms. I never wanted to lose him. I don't think I could live with out him. We heard several people chuckling. We pulled back and I saw Mike Newton standing there holding our food like someone had just kicked his puppy. I suppressed my own chuckle as he put our plates in front of us and left with out saying a word.

"Poor Newton. His world has come crashing down." snickered Rose.

"I feel kind of bad for him but maybe he will get the clue that I am just not interested in him." I said softly.

"I doubt it." said Alice.

"Great" I grumbled. Everyone laughed with me.

We ate our dinner. Well, they ate while I merely picked at my food. I ate a little of it but I wasn't very hungry. I kept giving Garrett and Kate a look that was begging them to tell the others about the engagement. They just kept giving me a look like they had no idea what I was talking about. I finally leaned over and whispered in Garrett's ear.

"You tell them now about the engagement or I am telling them that Kate is pregnant with Newton's baby."

He choked on his drink when I said this. He leaned over and told Kate what I said. She couldn't stop the hysterical chuckle that left her mouth.

"You had better not, Bella." she said in mock horror.

"What's going on?" demanded Alice. "What had Bella not do?"

I merely looked at Garrett and Kate with a raised eyebrow. They both looked at each other and smiled. They looked at the others and Kate told them the good news.

"Garrett has asked me to marry him. I told him yes." said Kate softly holding up her left hand and showing them her ring. Alice, Rose and Angela gasp and jumped up and pulled Kate into a big hug. Emmett, Jasper and Ben looked a little shocked at first but they stood up and shook Garrett's hand and told him congratulations.

"Ooh, this is so exciting. When are you wanting to get married?' squealed Alice.

"We are planning on the end of the summer. We want to get married before school starts in the fall." explained Kate.

"Have you told your parents?" asked Angela.

"We told my parents but we haven't told Kate's parents yet." said Garrett.

"How did your parent take the news?" asked Ben.

"They were happy for us." said Garrett.

"We are to. You both deserve to be happy." said Emmett.

"Yeah, we know that it will work out. We will always be here for you guys." said Jasper.

"Thanks guys. It means a lot to have your support. You all are our family too." said Garrett with a tear escaping his eye.

I knew just how much he needed this. They all had siblings but Garrett and I were only children. We finished dinner quickly. We all tried to help pay the bill but Garrett insisted that he was paying. He said his parents wanted him to be able to celebrate his recovery. We all walked out of the restaurant together. We were a family. After we hugged everyone goodbye, Edward and I got back in his car. I wasn't ready to go home so he took me to first beach in La Push. We sat wrapped in a blanket and watched the moon shine on the waves as they came in. I reached over and kissed him hard.

I needed to be close to him. I climbed over and straddled his lap. My skirt had been pushed up and I felt his hands on my thighs. I kissed him again, slipping my tongue into his mouth. I weaved my fingers into his hair and pulled him closer to me. I needed him to touch me. I needed to touch him. I reached down and started to stroke him through his pants. He moaned into my mouth. I felt him slip his hand in between our bodies and play with my wet folds. He slipped his finger into my panties and I let out a moan. I pushed his finger into me and I cried out in pleasure. He pulled out his finger and I whimpered for the lack of contact. He just chuckled as he lifted me up and carried me to his car. He opened the back door and helped me get in. He laid me down and slowly removed my panties. He looked up at me and gave me a quick kiss. He leaned down and buried his face in my wet core. I had never felt something so wonderful as the feeling of his tongue working its way on me. I pulled his head closer to me as I felt my orgasm starting. He inserted two fingers and started to pump them in and out of me fast.

"Oh Fuck, Edward. I'm coming." I screamed as my body began to shake from my climax.

He reached up and kissed me hard. I could feel his erection straining in his pants. I knew we couldn't have sex tonight but I wanted to do something for him. I pushed him over so that he was laying beneath me. I reached down and unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. He tried to stop me but I pushed his hands away. I reached in and pulled his cock out of his boxers briefs. He was quite large. I wrapped my hand around him as I stroked him a few times. I felt him shudder from the feeling of my hand on him. I lowered my head down and licked the tip of his cock. He jerked his hips up a little bit. I opened his mouth and took him in. I slowly started to move my head up and down his erection. I used my tongue to massage his long shaft. I couldn't get all of him in my mouth so I wrapped my hand on the lower part of his shaft and move it in the opposites direction as my mouth.

"Fuck…Bella…feels so….good." panted Edward as I moved my head.

He reached out and put his hand on the back of my head and guided me along his cock. I could tell that he was getting close so I started moving faster. He tried to pull me off of him as he began to tense but I just started to move faster. I moan at the feeling of his cock hitting the back of my throat.

"Bella…move…I…fuck….going….to….come." he panted. I shock my head no and I felt him spill into my mouth. It was a mixture of sweet and salty. I swallowed it all and used my tongue to clean him up before I tucked him back in and helped him button and zip his pants. I leaned up and kissed him hard. "Thank you, love."

"No, thank you. You made me feel beautiful." I said as I laid my head on his chest.

Bella, you are beautiful. I love you very much." he whispered as he kissed the top of my head.

"I love you to, Edward. We had better get going before our parents get worried."

We climbed out of the car. Edward helped me slip my panties back on and helped me get back in the car. He ran over and climbed in the drivers seat. He leaned over and kissed me. He turned on the car and we drove home. We talked about how happy we were for Garrett and Kate. I told Edward how facing death really makes you realize just how short life can be. I wanted to live everyday to the fullest. He promised to help me. We decided to start a list of things that we wanted to do. By the time we got to my house, we had bungee jumping, skydiving and a trip to Paris on the list. Edward parked his car over at his house and walked me next door to mine. Charlie and Renee had left the porch light on for us. He walked me to the door and pulled me into his arms. He leaned down and gave me a soft gentle kiss. He pressed his forehead on mine as he whispered.

"I love you, Bella. Never doubt my love for you."

"I love you, Edward. Now and forever." I whispered to his as I pressed my lips to his again.

"Goodnight, love." he whispered then he turned and walked down the steps.


	21. Chapter 21

I watched him until he got to his house. I opened the door and stepped into the house. I shut the door behind me and leaned back on it. I closed my eyes as I remembered how tender and gentle he was . How much he loved me. How much I love him. I didn't realize that had tears falling until I felt Charlie pulling me into his arms.

"I glad you had a good night, Bella. He loves you so much." he said as he pulled me into the living room. Renee was sitting on the couch reading a book. She put the book down as I went to sit next to her.

"Did you have a good night?" she asked.

"I had a wonderful night. It was nice to be able to go out and act like we were just normal, healthy teenagers. Dinner was good. Everyone was very happy about Garrett." I said. " He asked Kate to marry him. They are getting married at the end of the summer."

"That's great. They are lucky to have each other." said Renee rubbing my back as I laid my head in her lap.

"What did James and Victoria want to talk to you about?" asked Charlie.

"They are holding a benefit concert for cancer research. They asked Edward and I if we would play. We both agreed to. It is in three weeks. I figure it will be a good chance to practice for the Seattle competition."

"That sounds like a great idea. I am proud of you, Bella." said Renee through her tears.

"Why?"

"Because you have fought this so hard. You found a wonderful young man who loves you, you have supportive friends, and you are willing to give back." she said.

"I love you both. I couldn't do this without you." I whispered softly.

The three of us laid on the couch together a little while longer. I started to get tired so I went upstairs after I gave them a hug. I went into my room and saw Edward sitting at his piano, playing. I climbed on my window seat and watched him. He looked over and gave me a big smile. I returned the smile and got ready for bed. I climbed into bed and feel asleep quickly. I dreamed of being in Edward's arms all night.

I woke up Sunday exhausted so Edward hung out in my room most of the day watching movies. He held me in his arms while I napped. He never let go. He never left me. Renee and Esme brought us each a grill cheese sandwich and a cup of tomato soup at lunch time. We spent the afternoon reading to each other for hours, never once leaving each others arms. Carlisle and Esme invited us over for Sunday night dinner, so at five Edward went home to get ready. I reluctantly let him go home. I took a quick shower and dressed in a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt. I went downstairs and laid down on the couch until Charlie and Renee came down. About 10 minutes later they came down and we headed next door. We knocked on the door and Edward pulled the door open before we barely knocked. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

"You think he missed her?" snickered Charlie.

"Um, Edward, can you let us in?' smirked Renee. Edward pulled us out of the way with out looking up from my face. "Thanks"

"Anytime, Renee, anytime," he murmured as buried his face into my neck. I heard everyone start chucking. We broke out of our little bubble and looked around. "What?"

"Nothing." snickered Esme and Renee together as they went into the kitchen. Charlie and Carlisle merely chuckled and went into the kitchen after their wives. I looked around and noticed that Emmett, Alice, Jasper and Rose were all laughing at us.

"What?" I demanded.

"You both are so cute together." said Alice. I couldn't help but hide my face in Edward's chest as I felt my blush come up my cheeks.

"I thought Edward was going to take her right there." snickered Emmett. I felt my face get even redder. I felt my shoulders shake as the tears started falling from embarrassment. Where Edward and I really all over each other? I heard Rose slap him on the back of the head. "What was that for?"

"First, you don't need to embarrass them like that. Second, it would be nice if you looked at me like that." snapped Rose. "Don't listen to the big baboon, Bella. I think its sweet."

"Thanks Rose, its nice to know that some people care about my feelings." I said softly.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I love you, little sister." said Emmett softly. He pulled me into his arms.

"It's ok, Em. I know you can't help it." I whispered. "You might want to have Edward give you some tips on pleasing Rose. He is a fantastic lover."

"WHAT!?" bellowed Emmett.

We all busted out laughing as his face turned purple from his embarrassment. Carlisle, Esme, Charlie, Renee, and two other people came running into the room. I recognized them from the night I was taken to the hospital. They both were tall and very beautiful. The man had blond wavy hair and bright blue eyes. His wife had long blond hair and blue eyes. They had to be Rose and Jasper's parents. They all looked concerned about what ever made Emmett yell. We all tried to put straight faces on as they looked between us.

"What was that about?" asked Esme.

"Nothing." we muttered at the same time.

"Whatever." smirked Esme. "Bella, I would like for you to meet William and Catherine Hale. They are Rosalie and Jasper's parents."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Hale." I said as I shook their hands.

"Please call us William and Catherine. The pleasure is ours. Rose and Jasper have told us a lot about you. We are glad to see you are feeling better." said William.

"I apologize for my behavior the other night." I whispered as I felt the tears swimming in my eyes.

"Don't apologize, dear. I know hard it is to keep going. I'm a survivor to." whispered William as he gave me gentle hug.

"Thank you." I whispered.

"Bella, would you like to hear my story." asked William.

"If you don't mind sharing it with me." I said softly.

"Of course I don't."

We all gathered in the living room. Emmett, Jasper and Edward sat and pulled Rose, Alice and I onto their laps. Charlie and Renee settled into the smaller sofa, Carlisle and Esme sat on the love seat. William and Catherine sat together on the oversized chair.

"I was 14yrs old when I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. I went in for a routine physical before I started playing high school football. My doctor noticed that I had a rather large bruise on my hip. He decided to run some test to make sure nothing was wrong. A few days later, my parents and I were called back into the doctors office. We went in and I knew something was wrong. We were told that I had ALL and I had to start treatments immediately. I went through 10 rounds of Chemo before I went into remission. I was alone. My parents were in denial about my condition. I had to take a taxi to my first three days of treatment. Then I met Catherine. She was a year older than I was. She came across me one day when I was behind the school vomiting from the treatments. She held me and let me cry in her arms. I told her everything. She insisted on driving me to every treatment. She held my hand when I was sick. She held my hand when my hair fell out. I fell in love with her. My parents didn't want her around because then they would have to admit that I was sick. I moved out of their house and in with Catherine and her family. They sued my parents for custody of me. They won. They supported me and our relationship. The day I went into remission was the happiest day of our lives, at least until Rose and Jasper were born. Four years later, we were married. We have stood by each other everyday."

"You are very lucky to have each other. Thank you for sharing your story with me." I cried through my tears. Edward pulled me tighter into his arms. I felt William come over and whisper in my ear.

"Let him love you. He is the lucky one."

I heard everyone leave the room as Edward held me in his arms and let me cry. We sat there wrapped for what felt like hours before I pulled away and pressed my lips to his.

"Edward, I love you." I whispered.

"You are my life now. I love you so much." whispered Edward back.

"Edward?"

"Yes?"

"I'm really hungry now."

"Lets go get you some food." he chuckled.

He threw me over his shoulder and I squealed as he carried me into the dinning room. Everyone was already eating so he placed me in the chair next to his. He started piling food onto my plate. I started shoving the food in my mouth with a moan. I looked up and everyone was staring at me with an amused look on their faces.

"What?" I asked.

"Are you hungry, Bella?" snickered Emmett.

"Yes. So?" I snapped.

"You might want to chew before you swallow." he snapped back.

"You might want to shut your face. This is the first time in weeks that I have had an appetite. Maybe I am enjoying being able to even taste food again. Maybe I'm enjoying having my appetite back, even if it is for only one night. Did you ever think of that? No, of course not. So excuse me for enjoying what I am eating." I snapped as I stood up and picked up my plate. Everyone sat there staring at me as I ranted.


	22. Chapter 22

I took it into the kitchen and sat down at the breakfast table to finish eating. I heard Alice, Rose, Jasper and Edward all stand up and grab their plates and followed me. I am pretty sure they called him an idiot and jerk but I was so pissed that I may have been imaging it. They set their plates down next to mine.

"Just ignore him, Bella. It's great to see you being able to eat." said Rose.

"He's an idiot." said Jasper.

"He has no filter between his mouth and his brain." said Edward.

"He just doesn't understand how hard it has been." said Alice.

"I know he doesn't but it still hurt. He was basically calling me a pig." I said pushing my plate away. I could feel the tears swimming in my eyes again.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." said Emmett as he pulled me into his arms. "I was just teasing you."

"I know you were, Em, but I have spent the last couple weeks barely able to keep anything down. You just made me feel like a freak." I said softly as the tears slipped down my face.

"Bella, you are the bravest, strongest, toughest girl, no person I have ever met. I don't think I would have your strength to move away from my home and deal with being sick at the same time." said Emmett.

"Your wrong." I whispered.

"About what?" he asked.

"I didn't leave my home, I found it here with you all." I whispered.

"AWE! Group hug." squealed Alice.

Jasper, Alice Rose, and Edward came over and wrapped their arms around us. We all fell to the ground with a loud thud. We all busted out laughing as we laid their kitchen in a pile of entwined limbs. Carlisle, Esme, Charlie, Renee, William, and Catherine all came running into the kitchen.

"What the hell happened?" demanded Carlisle.

"It was Emmett." we all said at the same time before busting out laughing again.

Our parents joined in as they helped us up off the floor. We went back to our dinner. Our parents went back into the dinning room but we stayed in the kitchen. I ate all of my food and Emmett, who was still feeling badly for hurting my feelings, went to get me a second plate which I managed to finish off to. After we all helped do the dishes, it was time for us to go home. William and Catherine told me to call if them if we needed anything. I thanked them and promised to call. I gave Rose and Jasper a hug as they left. Carlisle insisted on checking me over to make sure I was ok to go back to school tomorrow. I just rolled my eyes but let him have his way. I was giving the ok to return but to take it easy if I needed to. I gave them all a hug goodbye as I left with Charlie and Renee. Edward walked back to the house with us. Charlie and Renee gave us a moment alone.

We spent several minutes kissing on the porch until Charlie flashed the porch light on and off. I just chuckled as Edward jumped off the porch and ran back to his house. I went in and said goodnight. I went up to bed and changed into my pajamas. I curled up on my window seat and listened to Edward play the piano for me. Eventually I dragged myself to bed. I did end up throwing all of my dinner up. I cleaned my face and went back to bed. I fell asleep pretty quickly.

I had the dream about the dance again. I woke up screaming and crying again. I looked over at my clock and saw that it was just after 5am. I grabbed my sketch book and sat on my window seat and sketched my nightmare. I was hoping it would help me get rid of it. I finally gave up and went to take a hot shower. I quickly showered and brushed my teeth. I pulled on my ripped jeans, that were hanging on my hips, and a green t-shirt. I put in a pair of black flip flops and a black bandana and went downstairs. I ate two pieces of toast and drank a glass of orange juice. Edward was going to take me to my chemo appointment after school, so I told Charlie and Renee I would see them later. I grabbed my leather jacket and my messenger bag and walked over to Edward's. They were coming out the door when I walked up.

"Morning Bella. How did you sleep?" asked Alice.

"I slept ok." I said as I looked down at my feet.

"Did you have another nightmare?" asked Edward.

"Yes. The same one." I said softly.

"What nightmare?' demanded Emmett as we got into the Volvo.

"Nothing." I murmured.

Emmett went to say something else but Edward told him to drop it. I was a little nervous about going back to school. I hadn't been back since the day I told everyone about the leukemia. As soon as we got to school, everyone in the parking lot stopped and stared at us. I groaned at all the attention. Edward opened my door and helped me out. He wrapped his arm around my waist as we made it back to our lockers. Many of the students started crying as they saw me walking down the hall. The others just stood there and stared at me. I don't which one is worse. Edward came over to me and gave me a big hug before I made my way to English with Alice. He reassured me that everything was going to be ok and told me he loved me.

I couldn't help the big smile that crept up on my face every time he told me that he loves me. Alice hooked her arm with mine and dragged me down to our class. We stepped into the classroom just seconds before the bell rang. As soon as everyone saw me they stopped talking including Mr. Owens. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as I went and sat in my chair. It was already getting on my nerves. Mr. Owens started class and everyone turned their attention to him. I noticed that several student kept looking over at me all during class. I pulled out a sheet of paper and scribbled on it and then passed it over to Alice.

**Do I have something in my hair?**

Alice barely was able to contain her chuckle when she read my note. She picked up her pen and quickly replied.

_No, you have toilet paper on your shoe._

This time it was me who could barely contain my chuckle. I quickly wrote a reply.

**Why didn't you tell me? Here I was thinking someone had put sign on my back that said 'Dead girl walking'.**

**I passed the note back to Alice. This time she busted out laughing. I couldn't help but laugh with her. Everyone in the class, including Mr. Owens, once again turned and stared at us. **

"**Something you girls would like to share with the class?" snapped Mr. Owens. Alice's entire body was shaking with her laughter.**

"**Sorry, sir, I was just asking Alice if I had something in my hair. I mean there has to be a reason why everyone is staring at me like I am going to die right in front of them." I said a little harshly. Mr. Owens merely looked at me for a moment before he smiled and addressed the class.**

"**Would anyone like to share with Bella why they are staring at her?" he asked the class. For a few moments everyone was silence. Then a small blond boy in the back of the room spoke up.**

"**I'm worried that you are going to need something. I want to be able to help." he said softly.**

"**I am wondering how you can be so strong." said a small brunette girl in the back.**

"**I was thinking I don't know how you can laugh when you are going through so much." said a dark haired boy.**

"**What choice do I have?" I asked them. I stood up and went down and stood in front of the class. "I could lay down and wait to die but what good would that be. I have friends and family to live for. But I am not doing this for them. I have to fight for myself. When I first was diagnosed, I devastated. I spent a whole week curled up in my bed crying. I have to keep smiling. I have to keep laughing. I have to keep fighting. I don't want to die." I cried as the tears poured down my face. **

**I turned and ran out of the classroom. I ran to the bathroom and fell to the floor crying. A few moments later, Alice and Angela came in and pulled me into their arms.**

"**Bella, you are so brave." whispered Angela to me as I cried.**

"**You really made them listen for a change." said Alice.**

"**I…don't…want…to…be…the freak…I …just…want…to be…normal." I managed to say between my sobs.**

"**Bella, honey, even if you weren't sick you would never be normal." chuckled Angela. I pulled back and looked at her with a sad look on my face. "I don't mean that as a bad thing. Most people our age are more concerned about which actor is the new flavor of the month. I don't think you could be like that. I think you are selfless and brave. You inspire me to live everyday like it is my last."**

"**Your wrong." I whispered.**

"**How?' she asked.**

"**I was just thinking about who the newest flavor of the month is. I am going to go with Rob Pattinson." **

**We all broke out in loud laughter. The bell rang and they helped me to my feet. I quickly cleaned my face and we went to Mr. Owens's classroom to get our bags. We walked in and grabbed our bags. We were fixing to walk out when Mr. Owens spoke up.**

"**Bella, I think what you said took a lot of courage. You need to understand how hard this is for many of the students. Many of these students haven't been this close to someone who could die. It's hard for them to understand how you can be so upbeat. Give them some time. For the record, I am proud of all of your hard work." he said softly looking at me with a gentle smile.**

"**Thank you, Mr. Owens. Not only for what you just said, but for giving us the chance to explain ourselves. I think it helped a lot."**

**I gave him a small smile then turned and followed Alice and Angela out of the room. We said goodbye to Alice and headed toward our government class. I could hear people whispering about what had happened in English. I noticed that more and more people were trying not to stare. Government and Trig passed slowly. Both teacher's tried to ignore all the whispering. Angela, Ben and I just chuckled to ourselves. Ben told me he was proud of me for standing up for myself. I gave him a big hug and told him how lucky Angela was to have him. He told me he was the lucky one. By the time, the bell rang in trig I was really starting to get tired. I slowly made my way into Spanish. I took my seat next to Emmett. He looked worried about how tired I was. But I told him I was going to go lay down during lunch. Senora Goff came in right as the bell rang. Most of the students had pulled out their books and were ready for class. She asked me to come up to her desk. She leaned in and asked me if it was ok with me if the students could ask me about my treatments and feelings, like I had done in English. I said that was fine. **

"**You can put away your books. Today we are going to do something different. As I am sure most of you heard, Bella answered some concerns from some of the kids in her first period class. She has agreed to answer any questions or concerns that you have." explained Senora Goff. For a few minutes nobody said anything. Then Emmett asked something.**

"**Are you scared?"**

"**Yes, I am terrified. I wake up every morning afraid that I am going to get worse instead of better. I am scared that my parents are going to have to watch me die. I'm afraid that I won't be strong enough to live. I don't want to die. I want to go to college, get married and have babies." I said softly.**

"**Are you in a lot of pain?" asked Jessica Stanley. I noticed that she seemed kind of sad sitting in the back of the classroom.**

"**Yes, I have a lot of pain in my hips and arms. I bruise very easily. They are quite painful. My stomach and back muscles are sore from throwing up for hours every night. I get cramps in my legs and stomach. The pain is so intense sometimes that I shake and cry for hours." I explained as a tear fell from my eyes. Emmett got up and pulled me into his arms.**

"**How do you find the strength to keep fighting?" asked Senora Goff. I turned and looked at her as I answered her question.**

"**Love. I have the love of my family and friends. They are always there to help me when I am ready to give up. Especially Edward. He holds me when I am throwing up. He holds me when I cry from the pain. He loves me even though I am sick. He treats me like I am normal." I whispered as I cried. The bell rang signaling the end of class.**

"**Thank you, Bella. For being so honest with us." said Senora Goff.**


	23. Chapter 23

Emmett let go of me and went to get our bags. He came over to me and swept me into his arms. I laid my head on his chest as he carried me out of the classroom. Rose looked concern but he hand her my bag and told her I was tired. He carried me down to the music room. As soon as Edward saw me in Emmett's arms he jumped up and ran over to me.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing, I'm just tired." I said as he pulled me from Emmett's arms to his. "Thank you, big brother. I love you."

"I love you to, little sister." whispered Emmett as he placed a small kiss on my forehead. Edward went and sat back down with me on his lap. I noticed that Garrett and Kate weren't with us today.

I fell asleep listening to Emmett tell the others about our Spanish class. I had the same nightmare about the dance only this time when Edward pushed me away he pulled Lauren Mallory into his arms. He looked over at me and told me he would never really love someone like me. I woke up screaming and crying.

"Bella, love, its ok." whispered Edward as he rocked me in his arms.

"You…pushed…me…away…for…someone….else…..you…said…you…would…never…love…someone…like…me." I sobbed.

"Bella, I love you so much. I am never leaving you. I want you forever." he whispered through his own tears. I could feel them falling on to my shoulder as he pulled me close.

"I can't lose you. You are all I have. Please don't leave me." I whispered. "I need you so much."

"Never…leaving…you." cried Edward as he sobbed.

"I love you, Edward. So much."

We sat there and cried in each others arms for a few minutes. The bell rang and we stood up. I smiled weakly at everyone but they assured me that it was ok. We left to go to afternoon class. I stopped by and washed my face and went down to take my pill in the nurse's office. Edward was waiting for me in the hall. We walked down to Biology in silence. We walked in us just moments before the bell rang. I notice Garrett and Kate were huddled together. Kate was crying. I looked over to ask if everything was ok but Garrett just shook his head no to me. I turned back to find Lauren Mallory standing in front of my desk.

"Bella, why are you still pretending to be sick? Haven't you caused enough drama?" she sneered. I opened my mouth to respond to her when I heard someone behind her yell first.

"Lauren, leave Bella alone. She hasn't done anything to deserve you treating her like that." snapped Jessica. I felt my mouth drop as she stood there and defended me.

"Yeah, she is much stronger than you will ever be." said a dark haired girl by the name of Katie Marshall.

"Just because you are jealous that Edward loves her and not you , is no reason for you to be such a bitch." spat a boy named Austin.

Everyone in the classroom started spouting out for her to leave me alone. Lauren just sat their shocked that everyone was defending me. She went to say something else but Mr. Banner cleared his throat. Everyone in the classroom got very quiet as they turned to look at him.

"Miss Mallory, I think you and I need to go speak to Eleazar about your behavior in this classroom. Nobody deserves to be treated with the disrespect that you have shown not only Bella, but every student in this class. Let's go." He said as he walked over to the door. Lauren quickly walked out of the classroom. Mr. Banner looked back at us all. "Free time today, just keep it down please."

Then they left. I sat there for a few moments before I turned and faced the class. They had done so much for me.

"Thank you all so much."

"No, Bella, thank you for helping us understand better. I am sorry for everything I have said or done to you." said Jessica. I gave her a small hug and walked over to Kate and Garrett. She was bawling in his arms. I knew it had nothing to do with me. I placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Kate, what's wrong?' I whispered. She reached out and threw herself in my arms. I held her as she cried.

"We told my parents about the engagement yesterday. They told me I was to young. They said if I don't break the engagement I can't come home. I don't have anywhere else to go." she cried.

"Yes, you do. You are moving in with me." I whispered. She and Garrett both looked up at me.

"Bella, I can't do that."

"Yes, you can. You both have done so much for me. It's the least I can do. Charlie and Renee won't mind. We have an extra room upstairs. It's yours."

"But-" she started but I stopped her.

"No buts. I have made the decision. You can't refuse me." I said. Then I leaned down and whispered just soft enough for Garrett, Kate and Edward to hear me. "Besides, that way Garrett and I can continue our sordid affair."

We all busted up laughing at that comment. I hugged hem both and assured them that it was going to be fine. They had each other. They didn't need anything else. Edward said he would talk to Emmett, Jasper and Ben about helping Kate move her things that afternoon while I was in chemo. Garrett was still pretty weak and couldn't do much lifting. I called Renee and explained the situation. She agreed that Kate should move in with us. I thanked her for being so understanding. We spent the rest of the hour talking about her wedding plans. They didn't want a big wedding. Something with just her friends and family. She asked me if I would be her maid of honor. I asked if she was sure she didn't want Tanya to do since she is her sister. But she told me that Tanya hasn't been nearly as supportive as I have been. I told her it would be an honor. Garrett asked Edward to be his best man. Kate said her grandparents, Marcus and Didyme, were going to help her pay for the wedding. They understood how much Kate and Garrett loved each other. We were going to go shopping on Saturday to see of we could find her a wedding dress.

The bell rang and Mr. Banner never came back. We all gathers our things and left for music. Edward went out to his car and grabbed my cello for me while I walked to class with Garrett and Kate. I noticed that most of the students weren't looking at Garrett and I anymore. I was glad not to have them staring. We walked into music and found Peter bouncing on his feet with excitement.

"Peter, what has you so happy?" I asked.

"The school has agreed to sponsor the benefit concert for Cancer Research that Garrett's parents are holding. They have asked us all to play. Isn't that cool?"

Yes, it is. I know we were all really excited about Saturday night when we were told about it." I said with a straight face. Peter stopped bouncing and looked like someone had just shot his puppy. "Don't be sad. You were the first person I thought of when they asked us to find people to play."

"Thanks, I guess. Anyway the school is letting them use the concert hall. This would be a good time for you all to practice the pieces for Seattle." he explained.

We all agreed and spent the rest of the hour practicing. I had narrowed it down to two songs at this point. But I still couldn't decided which one to pick. Edward was going to play a piece that he had written but Garrett and Kate were still having trouble deciding what they wanted to play so I let them look through my music. I told them they were welcomed to play any of it. We all recorded several songs to enter into the contest. Peter told us that the judges would listen to the records and then pick their top ten musicians to play in Seattle. The final bell rang and Edward and I went and got our stuff out of our lockers. I noticed that someone had started putting up signs for the prom that was in two weeks. I felt a tear fall down my face when I thought about my dream.

Edward saw it and wiped it away with out saying a word. We got our stuff and said goodbye to everyone else. They were all going to go over to Kate's and help her pack her stuff and move it into my house. I told them I would see them later. Edward and I got into his car and drove in silence to the hospital. I couldn't help but think about my dream. Edward swears he loves me, but what if something changes? Edward parked and came around to help me out of the car. He wrapped his arm around my waist and told me he loves me. I told him I love him to.

We made it up to Carlisle's office and only had to wait a few minutes before Carmen called me back. She would come get Edward after the IV got started. I went into my usual room and laid on my bed. It was lonely without Garrett being with me. A few minutes later the door opened and Garrett came in and laid down on his bed.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"We have chemo today." he simply stated.

"Garrett, you aren't doing chemo anymore." I pointed out.

"True, but I told you we are in this together. So here I am."

"Thanks, Garrett, for everything." I said as Carlisle came in with a big grin.

"Garrett, long time no see. Bella, how are you feeling today?" he asked.

"I'm tired. It was a long, emotional day at school. I have a question about the side effect of the chemo?"

"Ok go ahead." he said as he started my IV. He sat down on the edge of my bed and looked at me.

"It is normal to have nightmares? I have been having the same one for several days."

"Yes, the toxins can mess up your dreams, but it may be your fears of what ever you are dreaming that are causing them to return. What are you dreaming?" asked Carlisle.

"I keep dreaming that Edward and I are at a dance. Its starts off with us being happy and healthy, but then he pushes me away and I scream out when I realize my hair is gone again. He tells me he would never love someone like me." I said as the tears fell down my face.

"Bella, it is normal to have concerns like that about the ones we love. But I can assure you that Edward loves you , dear. He will never leave you. People like Edward don't fall in and out of love easily. Have faith in each other." whispered Carlisle. He then stood up and walked out.

"He's right, Bella. I have know Edward since we started kindergarten. He has never been as happy as he is with you." said Garrett. Just then the door opened and Edward came in. He looked a little concerned about why I was crying.

"I'm fine, Edward. Just been a long day. Come lay down with me." I scooted over and Edward laid down with me. He pulled me into his arms.

We spent the rest of the hour talking about what happened at school today. Garrett admitted that he felt I was getting more grief from everyone than he did because it was more noticeable when I shaved my head. I told him it felt good to finally let it out. We agreed that people seemed at a lot more at ease since I let them express their feelings and questions. Carlisle finally came back out and took our my IV. He told us to go home and rest. Garrett followed us back to my house.

We pulled up as Emmett, Jasper and Ben were pulling out the last load of boxes from Jasper's truck. We went inside and found Rose, Alice, Angela and Kate in her new room. They were helping her unload all of her things. I went to help but ended up running to the bathroom. I threw up pretty continuously for the next hour. Edward never left my side. He held me and rubbed my back the whole time. Garrett brought me a glass of water and sat on the floor of the bathroom with us. The others all came in and sat with us. They told stories about growing up together while Edward just held me. The all pretended not to notice when I had to throw up again. I eventually fell asleep in Edward's arms.


	24. Chapter 24

The rest of the week went about the same. Edward took me to my chemo appointments and Kate and Garrett both came with us. It was nice to have them still with us even though Garrett was better. Garrett wanted to wait until I was in remission with him before he told any of the kid at school. He said we were in this together every step of the way. The kids at school still stared at me a little bit but by the end of the week most of them had stopped. I could still tell that they felt pity for me but I realized that I couldn't stop them from felling that way. I just accepted it even if I didn't like it.

On Wednesday, Edward asked me if I would go with him to the prom. I looked at him like he was nuts. I reminded him about the nightmares and he told me he was going to prove to me that I was wrong. After much convincing, ok so it was really him kissing me, I finally agreed to go. I wasn't entirely unhappy but I was still a little scared. The rest of the week went by pretty fast. I had finally decided which piece I wanted to play for the benefit concert and the Seattle competition.

Saturday Kate, Rose, Alice , Angela and I all went shopping. I was feeling pretty good considering everything. We managed to find Kate a beautiful wedding dress. It was a simply white slip dress. She looked beautiful in it. Kate asked Rose, Alice and Angela to all be in her wedding also. So the four of us found matching soft pink slip dresses to wear as bridesmaids dresses. We also found prom dresses. Kate was going to wear a pink strapless, knee length dress. Angela found a dusty rose strapless dress that went all the way to her feet. Rose was going to ear this blood red silk dress and fell off her shoulders. Alice found a lavender halter style dress that only she could pull off. I found a beautiful ice blue silk dress. It was strapless. It started to flare from under my bust line till it reached my knees. It was beautiful. We found a matching blue scarf for me to wear on my head. Once we had shoes, bags, and jewelry , I was tired and ready to go home. Kate and I said our goodbyes and she drove us home. She talked about how her parents and Tanya refused to speak to her or her grandparents at all. I told them she is better off with out them. Once we got home I went and took a nap. I spent for the rest of the day in bed.

Sunday Edward came over and we worked on music for Seattle. He played my piano while I played my cello. He tried to get me to tell him about my dress for the prom but I refused. He tried to tickle me but I refused. He tried to kissing me but I still refused. Eventually Garrett and Kate came in and told him to stop trying. She accused me of being stubborn. I told her I wasn't stubborn, I was just very set in my ways. We all climbed on my bed and watched a movie together. Garrett was slowly getting his energy back from all the chemo treatments he had been through. His hair was starting to grow back. I teased him and called him a traitor for not keeping his head bald for me. He told me to suck it. We laughed really hard while Edward and Kate just rolled their eyes.

Monday went pretty fast. Edward drove me to school since he was going to go with me to my chemo treatment. I felt pretty good all day. I noticed that more or less the kids at school had stopped staring at me. Well, except for Mike Newton. He actually came up to me and told me that he would take me to the prom if I wanted him to. I could barely hide my chuckle when Edward told him that I was going with him. I kind of felt bad for him but I got over it pretty quickly. After school, Edward and I went to my chemo treatment. Garrett and Kate couldn't come because they had a meeting with Angela's dad. He was a pastor and they were hoping he would marry them.

Edward took me home afterwards and carried me upstairs to my room. As soon as I hit the door I needed to throw up. He held me for hours while I cried and threw up. I fell asleep in his arms. He must have carried me to my bed, because I woke up just after midnight when I felt my stomach turn again. I went into the bathroom and dry heaved for while. Kate came in and rubbed my back for me. She helped me clean my face. After I felt better she helped me lay back down in my bed. She laid with me and rubbed my back until I fell back asleep. I managed to sleep through the rest of the night. I woke a little after 6am. I was exhausted but still managed to take a quick shower. I pulled on a pair of jeans, long sleeve red t-shirt, a red scarf and a pair of tennis shoes. I went downstairs. As soon as I stepped off the last stair I had to run to the bathroom. Charlie was the one who held me this time.

"It's ok, baby. It's ok." he whispered as he rubbed my back. I pushed him off of me.

"HOW IS IT OK? NOTHING WILL EVER BE OK AGAIN!"I screamed.

I ran out of the house and started running down the street. I didn't even bother stopping at Edward's house. I just kept going. A few minutes later, I heard a car stop behind me. I felt a set of arms pull me into them. I turned and found Charlie holding me tight. He has tears pouring down his face as we stood in the middle of the street and cried together.

"I'm so sorry, Daddy. I'm so sorry."

"Bella, you did nothing wrong. I wish I could make it all go away honey but I can't. You are so strong. You are so beautiful." he whispered through his tears.

"I love you so much, Daddy. I'm scared I am going to die. I don't want to die." I wailed. "It's not fair."

"Honey, I don't want you to die either but if we have to face the fact that you might. It is the hardest thing to do as a parent. Parent's aren't supposed to out live their children." he cried.

"Please don't give up on me, Daddy. I can't do this alone." I said as my tears finally stopped.

"Never, baby, never." he whispered.

Charlie pulled me over to the car and helped me get in. We drove to school in silence but it wasn't uncomfortable. I think we both let out a lot of feelings that we were holding in. He pulled up and I turned to look at him.

"I love you, Dad. Never forget that." I whispered as I gave him a big hug.

I slowly got out of the car and made my way to my locker. Everyone was waiting for me a concerned look on their faces. I tried to smile at them but I had to run to the bathroom. I managed to make it just in time. I felt someone rubbing a cold cloth on my neck and turned to find Alice.

"Thanks, Ali." I whispered.

"Your welcome." she said softly. As the bell rang, I was finally able to stand up and she helped me clean up my face. "You know, Bella, I think you are the strongest person I have ever meet."

"I don't know about that." I muttered as we walked out of the bathroom.

"Bella, I don't think I have ever known anyone who has fought like you have." she explained as we got to our English class.

We stepped into the classroom and I was happy to notice that nobody turned to stare at me. We sat down in our seats and turned to listen to Mr. Owens. I had trouble focusing on him. About half way through I ended up running out of the classroom. I barely made it to the bathroom in time. Alice held me as I threw up for several minutes. Once I felt better she helped me get cleaned up and we made my way back out of the bathroom, just as the bell rang ending first period. I slowly made my way down to my government class. The rest of my classes went the same way. I had to run out of my classes several time. Usually Angela, Ben or Emmett usually came with me and took care of me. I skipped lunch and biology to take a nap in the nurse's office. Edward stayed with me and held me. The nurse's started to refuse to let him but I begged her to let him stay. She finally agreed and left us alone.

I woke up when the bell signaled the end fifth period. Edward and I slowly made our way to music. I had just sat down when I felt my stomach churn again. I stood up and started to run out the door when I felt dizzy and my foot caught on the desk in front of me. I went flying and I hit my head on the corner of Peter's desk. All I heard was screaming as I felt myself fade into the darkness.

When I finally woke up, I felt like my head was going to explode. I could hear people around me whispering. I cried out from the pain in my head. I reached up to rub the sore spot but someone grabbed my hand before I could. I snapped my eyes open, then cried out at the bright light.

"Light, turn off, to bright." I cried. Suddenly the light was turned off and I opened my eyes slowly. I noticed that I was back in the hospital. "Shit, what happened this time?"


	25. Chapter 25

I hear everyone in the room chuckle. I turned to notice that Carlisle, Esme, Charlie, Renee, Edward, and Peter were all standing around my bed. They all looked like they had been crying. Edward came over and grabbed my hand and pressed it to his lips.

"Bella, you fell and hit your head on Peter's desk at school. You cut your head open. We had a hard time stopping the bleeding. You had to have 8 stitches and a blood transfusion." explained Carlisle. "Can you tell me about today?"

"I was up a lot last night so I was really tired. I spent most of the morning running to the bathroom. Edward and I skipped lunch and biology so I could take a nap in the nurse's office. We had just sat down in music when I felt my stomach turning again. I got started to run to the bathroom when I felt dizzy. My foot got caught on a desk and I remember hitting my head before I passed out." I explained.

"I think you may have gotten a little dehydrated from throwing up so much today. From now on I want to carry a bottle of water with you at all times." ordered Carlisle.

"Ok, I will. When can I go home?"

"As soon as you are ready." he said. "But I want you to take it easy. No school tomorrow."

"No, you have to let me go. Please, if I miss again, everyone is going to start staring at me again. Please." I begged.

"Bella-" he started.

"No, you don't get it. Everyone was staring at me like I had three heads when I first came back last time. They finally stopped staring at me. Please let me go back to school." I snapped at him as the tears fell down my face.

"Ok, Bella, but I want someone with you at all times." said Carlisle.

"Thank you. I am hardly ever alone anyway."

"I will go get your discharge papers ready. Then you can go home." said Carlisle. He then turned and left the room. Esme followed him out.

"Bella, I will see you tomorrow. Get some rest." whispered Peter.

"Thank you, Peter." I said. He turned and nodded to everyone else and left the room.

"Bella, Dad and I are going to bring the car around to the doors." said Renee. She and Charlie left leaving me and Edward alone. He had pulled a chair up and was laying his head on my bed. I reached over and started running me fingers in his hair.

"You ok?" I asked softly.

"Yeah, I was scared." He whispered. "You were bleeding so much."

"I'm sorry. I should have been more careful." I whispered. He looked up at me and caressed my cheek with his hand.

"Love, it wasn't your fault. Your perfect." he whispered. He then pulled me into his arms and kissed me hard.

There was so much passion behind the kiss that I felt my panties get wet from the sheer intensity of it. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into the bed with me. I needed him closer. He rolled over until he was hovering over me, never breaking contact with my lips. He reached down and slipped a hand under my shirt and grazed my breast through my bra. I felt a tingle shoot through my body causing me to groan. I needed more. I needed him. I was fixing to reach down and stroke his erection, that I could feel pressing against my leg, when we heard Carlisle and Esme talking in the hall. Edward jumped out of the bed. I couldn't help but chuckle at how fast he moved. He just blushed and gave me his crooked smile as Carlisle and Esme walked in. Carlisle was pushing a wheelchair with a look that said don't even think about arguing with me. I just huffed and let Edward pick me up and put me in the chair.

Edward wheeled me out of the room and down to the elevator, with Carlisle and Esme following us. Once we got to the lobby, he pushed me outside. I figured it was pretty late. Edward lifted me up and placed me in Charlie's excursion. He climbed in next to me and wrapped his arms around me as we drove home. Once we got home he carried me up to my room. He kissed me goodnight and went home to sleep. Renee came in and helped me change for bed. I noticed she was shaking a little.

"Mom, you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. You just really scared me today, baby." she said softy as she helped me take off my shirt.

"I was scared to, but I'm ok."

"I know. It just doesn't get any easier." she whispered as she pulled my pants off of me. I felt her tears fall on my legs. "You're my baby. I can't lose you now. We tried for so long to have you. You are our miracle baby. Why is God trying to take you from us?" she begged while pulling my night gown over my head. I slipped my arms in. I pulled Renee into my arms and held her as tightly as I can.

"I don't know, Mom. I wish I did. But as long as I am still breathing I will fight."

We held each other and cried for an hour before I eventually fell asleep. This time instead of dreaming about Edward leaving me at the dance, I dreamed that I was standing next to my own grave. Everyone was gathered around and were crying softly. I wanted to wrap my arms around them all but I was rooted to the ground. I wanted to scream out that I was ok but I couldn't speak. I just stood there while my friends and family buried me. I woke up several hours later shaking with sobs.

I slowly got out of bed and took a long bath. I couldn't get my stitches wet, but the hot water helped relax my muscles. After the water started getting cold, I climbed out and dried off. I decided to wear a pair of black yoga pants, a long sleeve white t-shirt, a black bandana and a pair of tennis shoes. I slowly made my way downstairs. I hugged and kissed Charlie and Renee goodbye and went over to the Cullen's. I knocked on the door and a few minutes later Carlisle swung the door open for me.

"Bella, come on in." he said. "How's your head feeling?"

"It is sore. I have a small headache but it's not to bad." I said as I sat on the couch.

"Let me change your dressing, then I will get you some Advil." He said as he started removing the old dressing.

"Carlisle, why did you decide to specialize in leukemia?" I asked softly.

"My brother died of ALL when he was 12 years old. I wanted to try to find away to help children and their families survive. Its hard to see so many patients come in and out of my office ever year. I wish I could save them all but sometimes our bodies just can't take the trauma. There are times when I want to quit. I come home and I look at my family, Esme, and see just how much I miss. But then I see people like you and Garrett. I see how hard you fight, not just fight the disease but fight for some kind of normal life. It inspires me to keep working to find a cure." he explained softly as he redressed my stitches. He helped me fix my bandana so that it wouldn't rub on my stitches. It would be noticeable to everyone at school but I am starting to realize it doesn't matter.

"Carlisle, Thank you for treating me. I will admit I didn't want to move here but I am glad I did."

"I am to, Bella." he said as Edward, Emmett and Alice came down the stairs.

I said goodbye to Carlisle as I followed Edward out to the Volvo. Emmett insisted that I sit in the front seat and I was to tired to fight him today. He and Alice climbed into the back and we left for school. I must have been pretty quiet because Emmett asked me if I was ok.

"You ok, Sister?" asked Emmett.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"About what?" asked Alice.

"I was just thinking about fate. I wonder if we would have met if I hadn't gotten sick." I said softly.

"I think so. Sooner or later fate would have made sure we met." said Alice.

"Maybe." I said as we pulled into the parking lot. "Or maybe not. But I am glad we did."

"We are to, Bella." said Edward. He helped me out of the car and we made our way to our lockers. Garrett and Kate were waiting for me with Jasper, Rose, Ben and Angela. As soon as I got there they threw their arms around me.

"Bella, I am so glad you are ok. You scared the shit out of me." whispered Garrett.

"Sorry, next time I will try to aim better so I don't hit my head." I snickered.

"Bella, its not funny." he snapped.

"Garrett, I know its not. I'm just tired of always moping about everything." I whispered.

"If you don't mope then I can't cheer you up by sneaking under the bleachers with you." he whispered just loud enough for me, Kate, Edward, Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Ben and Angela to hear it.

The ten of us busted out laughing. We were all still laughing as we separated and made our way to our first period class. Alice, Angela and I took our seat in English. Mr. Owens came just as the bell rang. We had to write an essay on the differences between love and lust in Romeo and Juliet. So today so we spent the entire hour on it. Well, they did. I finished it in about 20 minutes. After I turn it in, I sat back down and laid my head down and closed my eyes. My head was still hurting from where I hit it. I woke with a start when the bed rang ending class.

Angela and I said goodbye to Alice and made our way to government. I stopped and refilled my water bottle on the way. Government and Trip passed pretty quickly. Ben and Angela were celebrating there three year anniversary today. It was sweet to see how in love they are with each other. After trig was over I stood up to go to Spanish. Emmett was waiting for me outside. I had only taken a few steps when I felt my a pain in my hip and I stumbled. He tried to get to me before I hit the ground but he didn't.


	26. Chapter 26

"BELLA! Are you ok!?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I just had a pain shoot through my hip." I grumbled as I tried to stand up. I couldn't put very much weight on my left leg because of the pain in my hip. "Ouch."

"Here, I got you." said Emmett as he swept me into his arms. I was going to protest but then I saw the look in his face. He needed to do this for me.

"Thanks, Brother." I whispered as he started off towards Spanish.

"Anytime, sister. Besides, I can't let Garrett be the only one scoring with you." he snickered only loud enough for me to hear.

I couldn't contain the hysterical laughter that broke free of me. Emmett joined in and we both walked into Spanish laughing our asses off. Emmett set me in my chair and took the one next to me. We passes notes all class. Emmett really helped me keep my sense of humor during all of this. I hope Rose knows what a wonderful, caring man Emmett really is.

As soon as the bell rang, Emmett swept me back into his arms. I just chuckled and let it go. We walked down to the music room and met up with the others. Edward immediately jumped up and took me from Emmett's arms. I leaned up and gave Edward a hard kiss.

"What was that for?' he chuckled when I pulled away.

"Just because I love you." I said softly.

"Well, I just love you to." whispered Edward as he kissed me again. This one lasted a little longer than mine did.

"Awe, aren't you two cute." gushed Garrett pretending to sound like a girl.

"Don't be jealous, Garrett. You know we will always have the bleachers." I smirked as Edward and I sat down next to the others.

"I see how it is. You are only using me so you won't get splinter's in your ass." he said feigning hurt.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"You are a cruel, cruel woman, Miss Swan." he teased.

"And you love me even more for it." I declared.

"That I do." He said.

The ten of us spent the rest of lunch talking about the prom. They were all really excited about it. I wasn't nearly as excited but at the same time I was. Rose, Alice, Kate, Angela and I were going to go to the spa Saturday morning, then get our nails and their hair done. They offered to help me find a wig but I told them that I was proud of my bald head. It just showed everyone that I wasn't quitting. When the alarm went off reminding me to go take my pill went off, Edward, Garrett, Kate, and I headed off towards the nurse's office. Edward refused to let me walk, so I let him carry me. I told Garrett and Kate that they didn't have to come with me but they said that we were all in this together. I just smiled and nodded my head in agreement. I quickly took my pill while the nurse checked my head. She gave me some more Advil to help with the headache. Edward swept me back into his arms and carried me to biology with Garrett and Kate snickering behind us. Once we got to class, Edward placed me on my stool. I had just pulled my biology book out of my messenger bag when Lauren came up to me. I braced myself for what ever shit she was getting ready to spout out but she surprised me by what she said.

"Bella, I wanted to apologize for how I have treated you. It wasn't fair. You have done nothing to deserve it. I hope you and Edward will be happy together." she said softly. I noticed she has tears in her eyes.

"Thank you, Lauren. That means a lot." I said softly.

She just nodded her head and went to sit down next to Jessica, who just gave me a small smile and pulled Lauren into her arms as she began to cry. Everyone in the class, including Mr. Banner, heard her apology. Many of them were a little emotional over the exchange. Mr. Banner gave us another free day which I really appreciated. Edward pulled me into his lap and we spent the hour talking about our hopes for the future. It was nice that he was able to be so positive about the future. The bell finally rang for the end of class.

Edward swept me into his arms and carried me to music. Garrett grabbed my bag for me while Kate grabbed Edward's bag. We slowly made our way to our class and went in and sat down. Edward helped me get my cello out so I could practice. Peter came in and smiled at us all.

"Hey, kids. How are you today?"

"Good."

"Great"

"Good."

"Tired"

Everyone chuckled when I said I was tired. But I was. No point in denying it, right?

"Bella, how is you head feeling?" asked Peter.

"It's sore. I have had a headache all day but it is getting a little better as the day goes on." I said shrugging my shoulders like it was no big deal.

"Well let me know if the noise gets to be to much."

"I will."

We all separated into our rooms and started to practice for Seattle. When the bell rang we packed up everything and made our ways to our lockers. Well I should say the Edward carried me to my locker. Once we got what we needed, I said goodbye to everyone and headed off to Edward's car. He helped me in and we headed off to the hospital. Once we were there, he carried me into the hospital and up to Carlisle's office. Garrett and Kate were already waiting for us. We checked in and sat down to wait. After a few minutes, Carman called me and Garrett to come back. I stood up to walk but I took one limp step and Garrett swept me into his arms. Carmen just chuckled at us as we followed her into our room. Garrett placed me on my bed and turned to lay down on his. The door opened and Carlisle came in.

"How is everyone today?" he asked. I opened my mouth to tell him about my hip but Garrett told him first.

"Bella's hip has been hurting." He blurted out.

"I was going to tell him." I snapped.

"Sorry." He muttered.

"It's fine." I said as I turned to address Carlisle. "Every time I put any weight on my left leg, I get a pain up in my hip."

"Would you mind letting me look at it?" asked Carlisle standing up and coming around to my left side. I pulled my shirt up and my pants down a little so he could look at it. I looked down and saw a gigantic bruise on my hip. "You have a pretty nasty bruise. Probably from falling yesterday. How did you manage to get around at school?"

"Emmett and Edward carried me most of the day. Then Garrett carried me in here even tough he doesn't have the strength to be carry me around like that." I explained with a smirk when Carlisle turned to glare at Garrett.

"Garrett Mitchell, you are not ready to be carrying anyone, even someone as light and stubborn as Bella." He said with a smirk of his own. I just rolled my eyes when he called me stubborn. Carlisle turned and looked back at me. "I think you will be fine tomorrow but if not let Emmett or Edward, not Garrett, carry you to your classes."

"Ok, Carlisle. I will." I said as Carlisle quickly got my IV started then let the room.

"Stubborn pain in the ass." muttered Garrett under his breath.

"Fucking baby with a hero complex." I muttered back. We both looked at each other and just busted out laughing. Just then the door opened and Edward and Kate came in. Garrett and I just looked at each other.

"It wasn't me." we said at the same time. They just rolled their eyes and pulled their chairs up.

"Sure it wasn't. You both are to stubborn." snickered Kate.

"Um, Kate. Pot meet Kettle." I smirked.

"Ouch, Bella. That really hurt." she mocked.

"Whatever." I mocked back.

We all laughed until we had tears pouring down our faces. To me this was the best part of chemo. We just sat in the small room and teased and joked with each other pretending that everything was normal. Carlisle came in and unhooked my IV. Edward swept me up in his arms and carried me out of the hospital. We said goodbye to Garrett and Kate. Kate was going to dinner with Garrett and his parents. She would be home later. Edward set me in his car and ran around and started to drive towards our houses.

"Edward, I think I'm ready." I said softly.

"Ready for what?" he asked

"I'm ready for us to make love." I whispered.


	27. Chapter 27

"Now!?" He said loudly.

"Not this minute. I was thinking about Saturday night after the prom." I laughed.

"Bella, are you sure? We can wait until you are better if you want. I haven't meant to pressure you in anyway." he rambled on.

"Edward, I'm sure. I've been thinking about it a lot lately. I want to live my life now. I don't want to die regretting not doing the things that I want. I want to feel your hands all over my body. I love you, Edward."

"Ok, Bella. We will try but I don't want to make the final decision until Saturday night. I will make sure we are protected either way but I don't want it to seem forced." he said softly.

"I agree, Edward. Thank you."

"Bella, I love you so much. You have to know that." he whispered as he parked his car in front of his house. "I would do anything for you."

"Really?" I whispered.

"Yes" he said so softly I could barely hear him.

"Kiss me." I whispered.

Edward reached over and gently pressed his lips onto mine. I slowly threw my arms around his neck and brought him closer. I opened my mouth and let his tongue in. I was fixing to deepen it even more when we heard knocking in the driver's side window. We jumped apart and saw Emmett grinning at us like fool.

"Break it up, lovebirds." he bellowed. I threw my door open and jumped out of the car. I took one step when my the pain in my hip caused me to fall. Emmett came running over to pull me into his arms but I pushed him away.

"No, you don't to help me. All you seem to care about is embarrassing me and Edward." I snapped. He reached down to help me back up but I pushed him away again. "I'm serious, Emmett. You can't go around and play with peoples feelings like that. Now, Edward will help me. When you decide you want to stop being such a horse's ass, you can let me know."

Edward pulled me in his arms and started walking towards my house. I noticed Esme, Alice, Jasper and Rose were all standing on the porch. I heard them start yelling at Emmett as we got to my porch. Charlie was still at the shop but Renee was there. She seemed to be having trouble stifling her chuckle at my outburst with Emmett. Edward carried me up to my room. As soon as I laid down, I needed to throw up. I crawled as quickly as I could and threw up for at least three hours. Edward held me the entire time. He rubbed my back and pressed a cold rag in the back of my neck. Eventually he moved us to my bed and we fell asleep together.

I woke the next morning to find Edward's arms still wrapped around me. I slowly stood and made my way to the bathroom. Just as I started to throw up, I felt Edward's arms around me. He helped me get cleaned up.

"You stayed?" I asked.

"I don't remember making the choice. I guess they saw how tired we were." said Edward as he picked me up and carried me to the bed. "I'm going to go home and get ready for school. I'll have Kate come in and help you get ready. I will be back to get you. I love you."

"I love you to. Edward, thank you for taking care of me." I said softly.

"Forever and ever." he whispered as he gave me a soft kiss. He turned and walked out the door. A few minutes later, Kate came in to help me.

"Morning, Bella. How are you feeling this morning?" she asked as she pulled me out a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt.

"I'm good. I slept through the night after I threw up for a few hours. Edward stayed with me all night."

"I noticed. Charlie and Renee were going to wake him up but you both looked so peaceful they decided to let you both sleep." as she helped me pull on my jeans and shirt.

"Kate, can I ask you a personal question?"

"Of course you can." she said as she tied a red scarf on my head.

"Have you and Garrett had sex?" I whispered.

"Yes, we have. We had planned to wait until we went to college but the night that Garrett was diagnosed . I went over to his house. We were up in his room, I was holding him as we both cried. He looked up into my eyes and I just knew it was the right time. I kissed him softly and asked him to make love to me. It was wonderful. I mean at first it hurt like hell but the love Garrett has for me made it sweet. I have never regretted the choice. We have made love a few times since then but not to many." she explained. "Are you thinking about having sex with Edward?"

"Yes, we talked about it last night. We are both pretty nervous but I know we are ready. I just love him so much."

"Bella, just follow your instincts. You and Edward will be fine." she said as their was a soft knock on the door. "Come in."

The door opened and Edward came in and swept me into his arms. He placed a gentle kiss on my lips and carried me downstairs. Charlie and Renee were sitting in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee. As soon as the smell hit me I jumped out of Edward's arms and stumbled to the bathroom. Renee can running after me. She rubbed my back as I dry heaved for several minutes.

"Thanks, Mom." I whispered.

"Always, baby." She whispered.

"Thank you for letting Edward stay last night. It was the best night of sleep I have had in awhile."

"I could tell." She said softly. "I'm glad you found each other, Bella. You need each other."

"I am to. I love him."

"I know you do. I know he loves you to."

Renee helped me back into the living room where Edward was waiting. As soon as he saw me, he swept me into his arms. Kate had already left to go get Garrett. I said a quick goodbye to Charlie and Renee. Edward carried me over to his car. Emmett was standing there looking defeated and broken. I felt bad for what I had said to him yesterday. I opened my mouth to apologize but he spoke first.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I don't mean to embarrass you. I'm just trying to treat you as I would normally treat my sister. I tease Alice like that all the time. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings." said Emmett as tears poured down his face. Edward put down in front of him and I wrapped my arms around him.

"I love you to, brother. I'm just not used to having an older brother. I'm sorry for going off on you." I whispered through my tears.

"Bella, you weren't wrong. It was all me."

"No, I overreacted. I'm just as much to blame."

"No, I was being an insensitive jerk."

"No-"

"Oh for Christ sake, we get it. You were both stubborn jackasses can we please get in the car and go to school." grumbled Alice. I just turned and glared at her. "I mean, you both apologized, so it is done."

"Fine." I grumbled. Emmett helped me get into the front seat next to Edward who was chuckling to himself pretty hard. As he took off towards school. "Something funny, Cullen?"

"Yes, I was just thinking I would hate to be Alice right now with the thoughts that are certainly running through your head." he chuckled. "Sucks to be you, Alice."

I chuckled when I saw Alice's eyes get big. She tried to apologize. I told her it was fine but she wouldn't let it go. The rest of the day went like that. Edward carried me to and from all of my classes, except from Spanish to lunch. Emmett got that honor. I managed not to throw up more than three time today. We watched a movie in biology and I damn near fell asleep. Edward pulled my chair closer to his so I could lay my head on his shoulder. He really did love me. We went to music and practiced our pieces for Seattle. About half way through music, Eleazar came over the loud speaker and made an announcement.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, many of you have heard of the Young Musician Competition being held in Seattle at the end of May. It is my honor to announce that Edward Cullen, Garrett, Mitchell, Kate Denali and Isabella Swan have all made it into the top ten finalist. They will get the opportunity to compete in Seattle. Please make sure that you give them all your support over the next few weeks as they prepare their music. Thank you."

We all sat there stunned for about half a second before we all started screaming.


	28. Chapter 28

"OH MY GOD." I screamed as I jumped up and down.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE WE ALL MADE IT." screamed Kate.

"THIS IS AWESOME." yelled Garrett.

"WOW, JUST WOW." yelled Edward.

"Congratulations guys, I knew you all would make it." chuckled Peter as the bell rang.

We quickly packed up our things and ran out into the hall. As soon as we stepped out, everyone in the halls started clapping and cheering for us. I could feel my face turn about five shades of red from all of their attention. We met the others at our lockers. They wanted to take us out to celebrate, so Edward and I went to the coffee shop with everyone. It felt nice to be able to hang out for awhile. They were really busy but we managed to find a table in the back. After a few minutes I heard Kate gasp. I turned and looked at her and she was staring at a couple walking towards us. They were both tall. The woman had long blond hair. The man has darker hair. They both had scowls on their faces.

"Katerina." said the woman.

"Mother, Father, I'm surprised to see you here. Bella, these are my parents, Irina and Laurent. This is Bella. She and her parent's were gracious enough to let me move in with them when you kicked me out." said Kate.

"It's nice to meet you both." I said softly.

"I wish I could say the same, but you seem to have convinced Katerina that she should be marrying a boy who has health issue." she sneered at me. "But I see you and him both are sick. Pity."

"Wow, You know I really felt bad when Kate and Garrett told me how you both treated them, but I'm not now." I snapped loudly as I stood up. Everyone in the coffee shop stopped talking and was staring at me. I saw Renee move to come over to us but Charlie stopped her. "You both don't deserve to have the love of a daughter like her. You have no idea how much she has given of herself to help Garrett and I deal with the fact that we were dieing. Even now that Garrett is in remission, she still rubs my back for me when I am throwing up. She still comes with me to every chemo treatment. She is the sister I never had. You don't deserve her."

"You listen here you little bitch-" started Laurent.

"No, you listen. You should support her in everything she does. You should be helping her plan her wedding. You should be walking her down the isle but instead you are both pushing her way. You have no idea how much she needs you right now. Have you ever considered how lucky you are to have two healthy children who love so unconditionally?"

"She has her whole life in front of her. She shouldn't be wasting it on pieces of trash like you." sneered Irina. I opened my mouth to snap back at her but Renee's loud yell stopped me.

"Don't you fucking talk about my daughter's like that. Yes, I said daughter's. Kate is just as much mine as Bella is. Bella and Kate have been through ten times as much pain and suffering as you will ever be. You don't deserve her. Get the fuck out of my shop and don't ever come back." yelled Renee as she came over and stepped between us.

"You can have her." snapped Laurent as he pulled his wife from the shop. Everyone in the shop started cheering as they left. I sat down and pulled Kate into my arms. She was bawling after hearing everything her parents had just said about her.

"It's ok, Kate. You have us." I whispered. Renee and Charlie wrapped their arms around us.

"Kate, I meant what I said. You are our daughter now. Forever." whispered Renee.

"You can't get rid of us now, Katie. Your stuck with us." whispered Charlie.

"Thanks Mom and Dad. Bella, you are the best sister ever." whispered Kate.

After a few minutes Charlie and Renee went back to work, so we all left. Everyone came over to our house and we hung around the living room watching movies. We were contend on just being together. Charlie and Renee brought Chinese food for us. Carlisle and Esme, James and Victoria, William and Catherine all came over and joined us. Renee and I recounted our encounter with Irina and Laurent. They were all shaking with anger but proud that Renee, Charlie and I stood up for her. They loved her too. Together we were a family.

Around ten o'clock, everyone went home. I was exhausted from a long day. I brushed my teeth and crawled into bed. I had just closed my eyes when I heard Kate crying in her room. I got up and quickly made my way to her room. I slipped into bed with her and pulled her into my arms.

"How could they hate me so much?" she cried.

"I am sure they don't hate you. They just don't understand how much you and Garrett love each other."

"I know but they are so willing to let me go. Charlie and Renee love you so much they were willing to move across the country to help you. My parents aren't even willing to look at me."

"It wasn't easy for them but I was all they had. They tried to get pregnant with me for 5years before they were able to. Your parents just don't understand how hard everything can be." I whispered.

"Thank you, Bella. I love you ." said Kate.

"I love you to, Kate."

We both fell asleep quickly. When we woke up the next morning Kate helped me get back into my room. My hip was better but it was still a little sore. I took a quick shower and put on a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. Kate helped me put on a pink bandana, to give me some color. We made our way downstairs. Renee had made us a big breakfast. I ate some eggs and toast. Kate left to pick up Garrett. A few minutes later Edward came by and carried me out to the car. I told him I was fine to walk but he told me he enjoyed having me in his arms.

Emmett and Alice were already waiting in the car for us. Once we were all in, we headed off to school. We talked a little bit about what we were going to do tomorrow. The girls were going to come over to my house and get ready with me and Kate. The boys were going to go to Edward's house. Then they would pick us up there. Once we got to school, Edward helped me out of the car but I made him let me walk As we were walking to our lockers I could hear everyone talking about what happened at the coffee shop. They seemed to be just as pissed as we were with how Kate's parents treated her and me. Once we got to our lockers, we found Tanya standing there waiting for us. She did not look happy.

"There's the little bitch that is trying to destroy my family." she sneered at me.

"Tanya, I did nothing but support your sister. Something you should be doing." I said calmly.

"She is making a mistake. She isn't old enough to get married. She will embarrass the family." she snapped.

"Who gives a fuck about the family?" yelled Kate. "What have they done for me? Marcus and Didyme are the only ones who have ever given a shit about how I feel. They were the ones that let me cry on their shoulders when Garrett got sick. Until Bella got here, Garrett and I had no one at school to lean on. Do you have any idea how hard that was?"

"You didn't tell anyone. How could anyone help when you refused to ask for it?" sneered Tanya.

"Do you really think it would have helped?" asked Garrett. "Have you seen the stares that Bella went through when she finally told everyone? We didn't want your pity. We wanted support. If Bella hadn't been here, would any of you have cared? I spent six months going through hell before she moved here. All I had was Kate. Did anyone notice when I was throwing up all day? Did anyone care when I shaved my head when my hair started falling out? I went through months of chemo with only Kate. I went though pain, hair loss, depression. There were nights when I prayed for death because the pain was so intense. Have you ever felt like that?"

"No, but-"

"There are no buts, Tanya. Don't you get it? Kate is your sister. She needs you and you are pushing her away. Kate has been there for me every time I needed her. I will be here for her now. Bella, Edward, and the other's will be here for her now. Will you ?" said Garrett.

"I want to. I really do but they are so mad. They told me they will cut me off. I don't have friends like you." whispered Tanya through her tears.

"Yes, you do, Tanya. I'm your friend." I said softly. She looked up at me softly.

"So am I." said Edward.

"We are to." said Alice and Jasper.

"Us to." said Ben and Angela.

"I am to." said Rosalie

"I'm not." said Emmett. "I'm your big brother."

"I don't deserve you all." said Tanya as she fell to the floor. I kneeled down in front of her and pulled her into my arms. I felt everyone else wrap their arms around us.

"Yes, you do. We are a family. We take care of each other." I whispered in her ear.


	29. Chapter 29

The bell rang and we reluctantly got up. We started to our first period class. I looked back and saw Tanya and Kate hugging. I smiled at the sight of them. Edward walked me to my class and kissed me goodbye. Everyone was whispering about confrontation with Tanya but I realized that they just needed something to talk about. It didn't matter what it was. They would find something or somebody.

The rest of the morning went pretty quickly. During first period we voted for prom king and queen. They gave us a list of ever boy and girl in the junior and senior class. I voted for Kate and Garrett. They have loved each other with so much passion. A few people asked me what had happened this morning but I told it was a family matter. I was happy to see that Tanya joined us for lunch today. I could tell she was still a little nervous about how we would react to her outburst this morning but we tried to include her in our conversations.

After lunch Edward, Garret, Kate and I were stopped after we left the nurses office and told that all students were expected to go to the gym for an assembly. I could only wonder what this was about. We walked in and found the gym completely packed with students and parents. We took our seats in the bleachers with everyone else. I looked around and saw Charlie, Renee, Esme, Carlisle, James, Victoria, William and Carmen all sitting on the other set of bleacher. I wondered why Carmen was there. After a few minutes, Eleazar stood up and walked to the middle of the gym where a mike was standing.

"Every year the Forks city commissioner's choose to honor a hard working student for achieving their goals and having upstanding character. Normally, the residents of Forks will nominate several students to receive this award. This year has been different. The city commissioner's office was overwhelmed with phone calls from parents, students, and residents of this fine community. It seems that two student's have shown outstanding courage, strength and compassion for each other and their fellow students. I would like to ask Mr. Newton and Reverend Weber to please step up and present their award."

Mr. Newton and Reverend Weber both walked up to the mike with smiles on their faces. Mr. Newton looked like an older version of his son. Reverend Weber had the same dark hair as Angela but they had different eyes. Mr. Newton grabbed the mike to speak first.

"Because of the overwhelming support for these two students, we have decided to honor both students. Both students have fought hard to overcome the obstacles trying to keep them down. They have inspired us to never stop fighting and to never give up." said Mr. Newton. "This years recipients of the Fork's upstanding character award are Garrett Mitchell and Isabella Swan."

I just sat there shocked as I heard my name being called. I turned to look at Garrett and he had the same look on his face. We slowly stood up and made our way down the bleachers as everyone around us erupted in cheers. They had all jumped to their feet as they clapped. Garrett and I walked slowly to the middle of the gym and took the plaques Mr. Newton was handing us. I could feel the tears spill down my face. I looked over and saw that Garrett had tears falling down his face as well. I leaned over and gave him a hug as Reverend Weber picked up the mike.

"We are proud to present you both a $10,000 college scholarship to any school that you choose. On top of that, the board of commissioners is prepared to match up to $10,000 during the Cancer Research Benefit concert being held next weekend. We would like to encourage all of you to give to help find a cure for cancer. Bella and Garrett, we are all so proud of how hard you have worked. We are praying for your recoveries. Thank you for being such good role models for all of our children."

"Thank you so much." I managed to get out through my tears.

"Thank you all." stammered Garrett through his own tears.

I felt my parents wrap their arms around me as I cried. I heard Eleazar say something but didn't hear what it was. After a few minutes, I finally was able to stop crying. They asked us to pose for pictures for the paper so we did. They took some of just me and Garrett, some of us with our parents, then a couple of us with Carlisle. Once they were done, we had to go to our last period class. We quietly walked to music. I think we were both pretty shocked that everyone thought so highly of us. We walked into music and stopped in our tracks. There standing in front of us were Edward, Kate, Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Ben, Angela and Peter with party hats on the top of their heads. Behind them was a table with sandwiches, a cake and some punch. We felt people come and stand behind us. I looked around and found Charlie, Renee, Carlisle, Esme, James, Victoria, William, Catherine, Carmen, Eleazar, Reverend Weber and two women I had never seen. One was a tall dark haired woman who I am guessing is Angela's mother. The other was younger. She had beautiful black silk hair and green eyes.

"What is going on here?" I demanded.

"We are having a little party." said Carlisle.

"Thanks for stating the obvious but why are we having a party?" I asked.

"To celebrate you and Garrett working hard. For you both continuing to fight. For being a stubborn pain in the ass and never giving up." explained Carlisle. Everyone snickered when he called me a stubborn pain in the ass. I, however, took it as a complement.

"Thanks, Carlisle, I love you to." I smirked.

"Awe, so sweet." said Carlisle. "But before you can eat, I need to take some blood. We are going to check your white blood count again to see if the chemo is working."

"Ok."

Carlisle and Carmen quickly took my blood and we went to join the others. I noticed that Carman went to stand next to Eleazar. Peter had his arm around the woman with green eyes. As we approached, they turned to look at me.

"Bella, this is my wife, Charlotte. Charlotte, this is Bella." introduced Peter.

"It is an honor to met you Bella. Peter has told me so much about you and your friends." said Charlotte.

"Thank you, the honor is mine. Peter has made the last few weeks much easier for all of us." I said.

"Bella, these are my parents, Robert and Anne. Mom, Dad, this is Bella." said Angela.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Reverend and Mrs. Weber." I said politely.

"Please call us Robert and Anne. It is nice to meet you to, Bella." said Anne as Ben walked over with two people who just came in. I guessed they were his parents. The man was had dark brown hair and brown eyes. His wife had short brown hair and blue eyes.

"Bella, these are my parents, John and Elisabeth. Mom, Dad, this is Bella." introduced Ben.

"It's a pleasure you meet you both, Mr. and Mrs. Cheney." I said shaking their hands.

"Please call us John and Elisabeth. Ben and Angela talk about you and Garrett a lot." said John. "You are a very strong person." I was fixing to deny that fact when I heard someone call out to me.

"Bella, Peter has told us that you are quite the musician. Would you please play for us?" asked Charlotte. I turned and glared at Peter, who just chuckled at me.

"I guess so."

I went and pulled out my cello. I sat on the piano bench and began playing the song I was planning for Seattle. I closed me eyes as I threw every emotion of the last few days. I put in my anger towards Kate's parents. The passion I felt for Edward. The bond between me and Garrett. I could feel the tears fall down my face as I played for my family. Those who were always there for me. Who held me when I was hurting, when I was in pain. Those who never let go. Those who didn't treat me like a freak but as a normal healthy girl. As I played the last note, I could hear people crying around me. I slowly opened my eyes and found everyone staring at me.

"What?" I said panting.

"Bella, that was beautiful. Who wrote that?" asked Esme.

"I did." I answered softly

"Bella, you have an amazing talent." said Victoria.

"Are you planning on studying music in college?" asked James.

"I'm not sure yet." I said looking down at my feet.

"Bella, don't give up on college. You can still beat this and go." said Carmen.

"I hope so, but I am afraid."

"Bella, I know you are afraid, but Carmen is right. You have shown so much strength already." said Carlisle.

"Thank you. I won't give up." I said softly.

For the rest of the hour we enjoyed ourselves. I found out that Carmen and Eleazar were married. They were unable to have children of their own so they choose to work with children instead. I looked around the room and realized how lucky I was to have the support and love of not only my friends and family but the entire community. The bell rang and I offered to help clean up but they insisted that they would do it. I had to get to my chemo treatment. Edward and I followed Carlisle and Carmen back to the hospital. Garrett and Kate showed up a few minutes after Carlisle got my IV started.

I could tell Garrett and Kate were both overwhelmed with the events of the day. I was to. It was emotionally draining. After Carlisle removed my IV, Edward and I went down to first beach for awhile. I wanted to enjoy some time with him alone. We didn't stay for very long because I was starting to get tired so we went home. I fell asleep in the car on the way home. Edward must have carried me upstairs and put me in bed. I woke a few hours later and went to throw up. Kate came in and rubbed my back for the next few hours. I laid on the cold bathroom floor with my head in her lap as my body shook with sobs.


	30. Chapter 30

Eventually, I managed to find my way back to bed. I think I finally got to sleep around 6 a.m. It felt like I had just fallen asleep when I was being shaken awake gently. I opened my eyes slowly and found Renee sitting on my bed.

"Bella, honey, you need to get up now." said Renee softly.

"What time is it?" I asked groggily.

"It's almost 11am. You need to get up so we can go to the spa." said Renee.

"Ok." I said as I pulled the covers over my head.

"Honey, you need to get up now. I'm going to go start the shower. You need to get up." said Renee. I heard her go into the bathroom and I heard the shower turn on. She came back out and chuckled as she pulled the blankets off me. "Bella, you gotta get up now."

"Fine." I huffed as I slowly got out of bed. I stumbled slightly as I made my way to the bathroom.

"Bella, are you ok?" asked Renee as she grabbed my arm.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. I was up nearly all night. Just help me get into the shower, please." I whispered.

She and I went into the bathroom and she helped me pull off my nightgown and panties. I stepped into the shower. She said she was going to sit on my bed until I was done, just in case I needed her. I felt better as I let the hot washer run over my body. I had to be careful not to get my stitches wet. I was getting excited about going to the prom with Edward and everyone. I was hoping that Edward and I were finally going to move our relationship to the next level. But even if we don't, I know that our relationship will only be made stronger by the end of the evening. I quickly washed up and turned the water off. I stepped out and dried off. I wrapped the towel around my body as I walked back into my room.

"Feel better, Bella?" Renee asked.

"Yes, much better." I said as I pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Renee helped me wrap a scarp around my head. "Thanks."

"Your welcome, baby. Are you excited about tonight?" she asked.

"Yes, I am. I'm kind of nervous about dancing but I think it will be fun."

"Bella, this is your chance to have a fun normal evening." said Renee.

"I know. I think that is what I am so excited about. I haven't had to many chances to have a normal evening."

"It's not fair that you have missed so much but it has only made you stronger."

"Your right." I said as we went downstairs. Esme, Alice, Rose, Catherine, Angela, Ann, Elisabeth, Kate and Victoria were waiting for us. "Sorry, it took me so long. I had trouble getting up this morning."

"It's fine, Bella. We have plenty of time." said Esme.

I grabbed couple pieces of toast and a glass of orange juice. After I ate, I followed the girls outside. Alice, Kate, Rose, Angela and I all climbed into Esme's Mercedes SUV. Renee, Victoria, Esme, Elisabeth, Ann, and Catherine were going to take Catherine's suburban. We followed them to the spa and parked. We met them inside and checked in. They were going to started with massages, while we got Brazilian waxes.

"Why the hell do I need to wax done there?" I grumbled.

"Bella, you can't expect Edward go down there if you don't wax?" snickered Rose.

"It didn't stop him last time." I snickered back. "I mean, shit."

"Wait, when did Edward do that?" asked Kate. I could feel the blush engulf my face.

"The night we went to celebrate Garrett going into remission." I mumbled.

"What!?" They all bellowed at the same time.

"Did you go down on him?" asked Rose.

"Um…yes." I mumbled.

"Oh, Bella, are you guys having sex?" asked Alice.

"No, not yet." I said.

"What do you mean not yet?" asked Angela.

"Well we've talked about it." I said.

"I think it is great that you and Edward are talking about it. Just make sure you are ready." said Alice.

"Have you all had sex yet?" I asked.

"Jasper and I have been having sex for about a year." said Alice.

"Emmett and I have been having sex for about two years." said Rose.

"Ben and I have been having sex for 8 months." said Angela. They all turned to look at Kate. She blushed a little as she gave her answer.

"Garrett and I have been having sex for 6months." said Kate. I gave her a small smile.

"How did you know you were ready? I mean I am pretty sure I am but I can't help but be a little nervous."

"I think when the time is right you will know. Sex is not necessarily something you can plan. If the time feels right then you will know it." said Rose.

"Thanks girls." I said.

We got our waxes, which hurt like hell, and went to get massages. It felt great to have all the tension and stress worked out of my body. It felt like I had years worth of stress lifted from my body. By the time the massages were down, I needed to grab lunch so I could take my pill. The eleven of us walked down to a small pizza joint and had lunch. I ate two slices of pizza and took my pill. After lunch we went down to the salon. The others were going to get their hair and nails down. I settled into my chair to get a pedicure and manicure. I fell asleep sometime while the technician was working on my feet. I'm not sure how long I had slept when I felt myself being shaken awake. I opened my eyes and slowly looked around.

"Where am I?" I asked groggily.

"Bella, we are at the salon. You fell asleep during you pedicure. We let you sleep while we finished up but it is time to go home." said Renee.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep. How rude of me." I muttered.

"Don't worry about it, honey." said the technician. "Jessica has told me how much you have been going through ."

"Jessica?" I asked.

"My daughter, Jessica Stanley. She has been very concerned about you over the last couple weeks. I'm Beth."

"It's nice to meet you, Beth. Thank you for understanding." I said softly.

"Anytime, dear. I hope you enjoy the prom." she said.

I looked up and noticed everyone was waiting for me at the door. Alice's long hair was pulled up into an elegant French twist. She looked so beautiful. Angela's long hair was left down but curled with so that it fell down her back softly. She looked amazing. Rose's hair was pulled up into a messy twist that framed her face. Kate's hair had been left down but straightened so that she looked sultry. I was a little jealous that they had hair that could be fixed. I couldn't stop the tears that fell down my face.

"You all look beautiful." I cried. They all came over and wrapped my in their arms.

"Bella, you are so much more beautiful than we are. You beauty radiates from inside of you." said Rose.

"No, I'm not. I am going to look ridiculous tonight." I cried as I ran out of the salon.

I heard them all call after me but I just couldn't stop. I ran until I felt the sobs overtook me. I pulled out my cell phone and called the person I needed to talk to right now. I waited a few minutes then felt the arms I needed wrap around me.

"What happened?" whispered Edward as he pulled me into his arms.

"I was standing there in the salon. I was looking at how beautiful they all looked with their beautifully styled hair. I was jealous. I was sitting there wishing it was one of them sitting there with no hair. It's not fair." I whispered as I clung to him. I could feel the tears pouring down my face.

"I know, love. I know it's not fair. I wish I could help but I can't. You don't need hair to look beautiful." He whispered as we sat on the curb and cried together.

"Why me? Why did I have to get sick?"

"I don't know, love." He continued to hold me and just let me cry. He whispered to me how beautiful he thought I was, how much he loves me.

"Edward, take me home, please." I begged.

"Let's go, love." he murmured.

He picked me up and helped me into his car. He ran around and got into the driver's seat. We drove home in silence. He reached over and grabbed my hand and pressed it against his cheek. He pulled up in front of my house and came around and helped me out. He pulled me to his chest as we walked up to the door. He pulled my lips to his and gave me gentle kiss.

"I love you, beautiful Bella, forever."

"I love you, Edward, forever." I whispered as I pressed my lips against his. "I'll see you soon, my love."


	31. Chapter 31

**I hope you all have enjoyed this story. I am working on breaking the rest of it down into stories so I can get it updated as fast as I can. Please let me know how you like it:)**

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I turned and opened the door and walked into my house. Everyone was sitting in the living room. As soon as I walked in they all stood up and made to come to me. I held my hands up to stop them. They all stopped and I took a deep breath trying to stop my tears from falling. I felt like all I do anymore is cry.

"I'm sorry for overreacting. It's just hard sometimes when I see how carefree you all can be. I don't have that choice. I'm sorry if I made you feel guilty. I love you all so much. I couldn't ask for a better family than you." I said softly.

"Bella, you have nothing to apologize for. We weren't mad at you. I wish I could take you place and be the one who is sick but I can't. Baby, you are so beautiful. Don't ever doubt how beautiful you are." said Renee.

"It's just hard sometimes. People look at me and they know I'm sick. I can't hide it. I don't like the attention. I don't want people to stare at me." I whispered.

"Bella, honey, people stare at you because of you strength and courage not because you are sick. They see how strong you are. Even before we all knew you were sick, people would see you coming and they would smile because you are so confident." said Rose.

"I just wanted to thank you all for your support. You have no idea how much I need it." I said softly.

I gave them all a hug before we went upstairs to get ready. I took a quick shower being careful not to let my stitches wet. I felt like I was washing away all of my doubts and insecurities. I know that all I need is Edward. With him, I can face anything. I turned off the water and dried off. I wrapped the towel around me and went back to the girls. They had already gotten their make-up on so they sat me down and helped me with mine. I normally an not a make-up person but it was a special occasion. We all slipped into our dresses and shoes. I was going to be brave and wear a pair of silver heels with my dress. Kate helped me slip on my blue scarf my head, managing to cover my banged., just as there was a knock on the door. Alice opened the door to Charlie. Charlie cleared his throat as he stepped into the room.

"Ladies, you all look very beautiful tonight. The boys are waiting for you downstairs. May I have please have a moment alone with Bella?" he asked softly. They all said yes and went downstairs. Charlie closed the door and took a deep ragged breath as he turned to look at me. I noticed he had tears swimming in his eyes. "You look so beautiful tonight, baby."

"Thank you, Daddy." I whispered softly trying not to cry.

"Mom and I would be honored if you would wear your grandmother Swan's pearl necklace tonight." he said as a tear fell down his face. He opened a black velvet box and showed me a beautiful strand of pearls.

"I would love to." I whispered. I turned around and Charlie put the pearls around my neck. I turned around and gave him a big hug. "Thank you, Daddy. I love you."

"I love you, Bella. Now lets get you downstairs to the very nervous young man who is waiting for you." he chuckled.

Charlie offered me his arm and I gladly took it. We stepped out my door and started down the stairs. I kept my head down as stepped off the last stair. I heard several gasp and I snapped my head up. Emmett, Jasper, Carlisle, John, William, James, Ben, Garrett and Robert were all staring at me with smiles on their faces. I looked over and found Edward with the biggest sexiest smile I have ever seen on his face. I noticed that Emmett, Jasper, Ben, Garrett, and Edward all looked amazing in their black tuxedos. He slowly made his way to me. He stepped up and reached up and cupped my face as he gently lowered his forehead to mine.

"Love, you are the most stunningly beautiful woman that I have ever seen. It is an honor to be on your arm tonight." he whispered just before he pressed his lips against mine.

"Awe." all the women in the room said at the same time. We heard all the men groan. We turned to look at them but they were glaring at Edward.

"Don't glare at him. What did he do?" I demanded.

"He makes it impossible for us to complete with him when he says such romantic things like that." grumbled Emmett.

"Yeah, Edward way to set the bar high for the rest of us." said Jasper.

"Don't be jealous just because I speak the truth." smirked Edward.

"Ok, enough grumbling, time for pictures." exclaimed Renee. We all groaned. "Stop groaning."

I think we took at least 100 pictures. They took pictures of us as couples, then just the girl, then just the guys, then with our parents. I really was wondering if we were ever going to get to the prom. Finally they let us go. After a million hugs and a few tears, we left. Ben and Angela were taking Ben's dad's BMW. Emmett and Rosalie went in Rose's BMW. Jasper and Alice took off in her yellow Porsche. Garrett and Kate went in his corvette, while Edward lead me to his shiny silver Volvo.

Edward helped me into the car and quick ran to driver's side. He started driving us to the school gym. I couldn't help the smile that grew on my face as I watched him. He turned and looked at me and noticed me staring at him. He lifted my hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to it. Edward pulled into an empty parking space in the parking lot. He quickly came around to my side of the car and opened the door for me. He helped out and wrapped his arm around my waist as we walked in and found the others. The gym had been decorated with 100's of silver and blue balloons. There were streamers and crepe paper all over the place. It was kind of cheesy but it was prom. It was supposed to be cheesy. Edward and I followed the others out to the dance floor. After I danced a few dances with Edward, I felt a tap on my shoulder and found Emmett standing there with a big grin on his face.

"May I have this dance, sister?" he asked.

"Yes, you may." I said. Edward just gave me a smile and pulled Rose into his arms for a dance. As the music started, Emmett started turning me around the dance floor. He seemed to want to say something but I could tell he was struggling with it. "What's on your mind, Em?"

"Bella, I wanted to thank you. I have never seen Edward so alive and happy as he has been this past month with you. He has always been so serious, so focused on school and his music. He was starting to forget how to have fun. I haven't seen him smile this much ever. Thank you." he whispered.

"Edward is the one person who makes me feel beautiful all the time. I'm lucky he loves me. I would be lost with him and everyone else." I said softly.

"Bella, we are the lucky ones." whispered Emmett as the music stopped. He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead and lead me back to Edward. Jasper came over and asked me to dance so I said yes. Edward and Alice refused to dance together so they went and got a cup of punch.

"Bella, I know I haven't gotten to know you quite as well as the others but I hope you know how much I care about you." said Jasper.

"I know you do. I love you like a brother, Jasper. I see how much you have helped Alice and Rose deal with everything. That is so important to me."

"I love you to, Bella. Just know I am always here for you." said Jasper.

We danced the rest of the dance in a comfortable silence. After the song ended Ben stepped in and I danced with him. He didn't get mushy with me. We had an unspoken understanding, I think. I know how much he loves me and he knows I love him to. We spent our dance laughing at Emmett who was trying to do the twist but looked like he had ants in his pants instead. Once the song was over and Ben and I managed to stop laughing, he lead me back over to Edward who pulled me into his arms. I think he missed me. He was fixing to say something when the music stopped and Peter and Senora Goff got on the small stage.

"As you all know, Friday you all voted for prom king and prom queen. We have your winners. Your prom king is Garrett Mitchell." said Senora Goff.

Everyone started cheering as he gave Kate a kiss and made his way up to the stage. I could see him blushing a little when they put the plastic crown on his head. I couldn't stop the chuckle. Peter took the mike from Senora Goff and cleared his throat to get everyone to be quiet.

"Your prom queen this year is Isabella Swan." he said softly.


	32. Chapter 32

I froze as every set of eyes in this room turned to look at me. Edward pulled me in for a quick kiss then gently pushed me towards to the stage. I slowly made my way through the crowd. They were all screaming and clapping for me. I heard Emmett and Jasper whistle as I stepped up on the stage. Peter came over and placed the plastic terra on my head. Someone with a camera was flashing pictures like crazy.

"Congratulations, Bella." said Peter softly as he placed the terra on my head. He turned and faced the crowd. "It is now time for the king and queen to dance."

Garrett reached out and grabbed my hand as he lead me to the dance floor. The music started and he lead me around the dance floor.

"Who knew having leukemia would make me prom queen?" I whispered. Garrett chuckled lightly.

"I don't think it has anything to do with the leukemia. I think it has more to do for the person you are." he chuckled.

"What do you mean?" I asked confused.

"I mean just what I said. Bella, you don't see yourself clearly. When people see you they see a strong, incredibly beautiful, caring, genuinely nice friend. People know how you stood up for Kate. They know how you befriended Tanya, even after she said some hurtful things. They saw how you forgave Lauren and Jessica. That is why you were voted prom queen." he said as the music stopped. "Bella, you need to open your eyes and see just how incredible you are. We all do."

Then he placed a kiss on my cheek and left me in Edward's waiting arms. I turned and Edward wiped a tear that had fallen down my face. I looked up into his eyes and saw just how much Edward does love me. I threw my arms around him and pulled my lips to his ear.

"I'm ready." I whispered. Edward pulled back just a little so he could look into my eyes. He seemed to be making sure I was really ready. I gently pressed my lips to his.

"Let's go" He whispered.

We said a quick goodbye to our friends. They all smiled at us like they knew exactly where we were going. Edward lead me out to his car where he opened the door for me and helped me inside. He walked quickly to the drives side and got in. I could tell he was nervous. I was to so I reached over and grabbed his hand as he drove us out of the parking lot. We drove for several minutes. We pulled up in front of a very fancy hotel. The valet opened my door for me and helped me out. Edward came around and gave him his keys as he took my hand in his.

Edward lead us inside and went straight to the elevator. Once the door opened he pressed the button for the fifth floor. He pulled me into his arms and nuzzled my ear as we waited for the elevator to stop. Once we stopped Edward lead me out of the elevator and down the long hallway to our room. He took a deep breath as he unlocked the door and held it open for me. I walked in and gasp. The entire room was full of blush roses. I turned and looked at him.

"I wanted everything to be perfect, just in case." he whispered as he took off his jacket.

"All I ever need is you." I whispered as I pressed my lips to his.

Edward swept me up into his arms and carried me over to the bed without breaking the kiss. He stood me up in front of the bed and bent down and started to take off my shoes. He slowly stood up and kicked off his own shoes and socks. I reached up and began unbuttoning his shirt, letting my fingers trace his bare chest as I made my way down. He shrugged off his shirt. He reached behind me and slowly lowered the zipper on my dress letting it fall to my feet. I kicked to the side to join his discarded shirt. He breath caught slightly as he looked at me in blue strapless bra and matching hipsters. I reached out and unbuttoned his pants. I lowered the zipper and pushed them to his feet. He stepped out of them and kicked them to the side.

"Bella, are you sure?'" He whispered.

"Yes, I want you to make love to me." I whispered softly.

He slowly reached behind me and unhooked my bra, tossing it aside. He gently pulled my panties down. I lowered his boxer's down and tossed them to join the rest of our discarded cloths. He already had an erection. I stroked him gently a few times before he picked me up and laid my in the middle of the bed. He pressed his lips to mine softly. He never broke contact with my skin as he moved his lips down my neck to the valley between my breast. He gently took my nipple into his mouth. I let out a loud moan at the tingle that shot through my body. He teased my nipples for several minutes before he slowly made his was down to my wet core. He moaned as he saw my hairless lips glistening for him. He lowered his mouth and started moving his tongue in and out of me.

"Edward…don't stop." I panted.

It felt so good to have him tasting me again. He started sucking on my clit as he inserted a finger into me. I bucked my hips slightly as he moved his finger in and out of me. He slowly added two more fingers as he thrust into me fast. I could feel my orgasm building quickly.

"Edward…don't ever stop….I'm coming." I screamed as I felt my walls clench around Edward's fingers.

He continued to devour my wet core. He slowly made his way back up and kissed me hard. I reached down and stoked him a few times. I wanted him inside of me so badly. "Edward, please make love to me now." I begged.

He reached over into the drawer next to the bed and pulled out a condom. He quickly tore the wrapper off and rolled in on his cock. He leaned down kissed me again as he positioned himself to my wet core.

"I love you, Bella." he whispered as he began to slowly push into me.

He moved very slowly letting me get used to him as he stretched my walls. He kissed me gently as he pushed through my barrier. I couldn't stop the whimper that escaped out of my mouth at the pain. I won't lie it hurt like hell. He was finally completely inside me. He stilled his movements as he leaned down and kissed away the tear that had escaped my eye. I lifted my hips to encourage him to move.

Very slowly, he worked himself in and out of me. He was so tender and gentle. He was truly making love to me. His eyes never moved from mine. We kissed and rocked our bodies together as we made love. It was everything I imagined it could be and more. I could feel my orgasm building. My body began to shake as I climaxed.

"Edward," I moaned as I reached my high. Edward slowly quickened his pace as his own orgasm hit.

"Bella" he moaned as he finally came.

We laid there for a moment. Still connected as one. Slowly Edward rolled off of me and pulled the condom off and threw it in the trash can that was next to the bed. He reached over and pulled me into his arms. I laid my head on his chest and we both fell asleep quickly. It had been a perfect evening. For once I didn't feel like the girl with cancer.

We woke just after 7am. We quickly took a shower together but we didn't make love again. I was a little sore and tired. We got dressed and went down stairs to check out. After Edward settled up with the front desk, we went out and the valet brought his car around. Edward helped me into the passenger's seat. He ran around and got into the driver's side. As we started home, I started to wonder if I would be in trouble for staying out all night. I started chuckling as I thought what Charlie and Renee were going to say.

"What's so funny?" asked Edward.

"I was just thinking about what Charlie and Renee are going to say when I get home. They never said I could stay out all night." I explained.

"What should we tell them we were doing?" he asked nervously.

"I don't really care. I guess we can tell them that we rented an amazing hotel room and made love." I said.

"Um, Bella, I don't really want Charlie to kill me." snickered Edward.

"He won't kill you . He might hurt you a little but I am 90% sure he won't kill you."

"That makes me feel better." said Edward as we pulled up in front of his house.

We got out and he pulled me into his arms as he walked me to my door. We had barely stepped up on the porch when the door opened and Esme was standing there. She looked like she had been crying. I immediately started to panic.

"Esme, what's wrong?" I screamed as I ran into the house. "Mom? Dad?"

I ran into the living room and found Charlie and Renee cuddled on the couch together. Emmett had Rose in his arms as she sobbed into his chest. I could see his own shoulder's shaking. Jasper and Alice were standing in the corner crying into each other.

"What is it? What's wrong?" I asked as Edward pulled me into his arms. Carlisle came up to me slowly and reached out and grabbed my hands gently. He had tears falling down his face.

"Sweetheart, there was an accident last night. Kate and Garrett were driving home from La Push when they were hit by a drunk driver." he explained.

"Are they ok?" I whispered. I already knew the answer but I needed to hear it.

"No, sweetheart. They were both killed instantly." he whispered through his tears. I felt me knees give out as I screamed out.


	33. Chapter 33

"NOOOOOOOOO."I screamed. "PLEASE NOT THEM!"

Edward was sitting on the floor with me as we both shook with our tears. I jumped up as I was over come with emotion.

"IT'S NOT FAIR. WHY HIM? WHY LET HIM LIVE JUST TO TAKE HIM AWAY FROM ME!" I screamed. Carlisle tried to pull me into his arms but I pushed him away. "DON'T TOUCH ME. DON'T EVER FUCKING TOUCH ME. I'M DONE. I GIVE UP. IT'S NOT FUCKING WORTH IT. HE BEAT IT AND NOW HE IS DEAD ANYWAY. KATE, LOST HER FAMILY FOR A WEDDING THAT WILL NEVER FUCKING HAPPEN. I'M DONE!"

Everyone came over to me to get my to calm down but I just pushed them away as I ran upstairs and threw myself on Kate's bed. I felt Edward pull me into his arms. We laid there for hours crying. Eventually we fell asleep from crying so hard. I woke up several hour when I hear yelling coming from outside the door. It sounded like Edward and Charlie.

"YOU CAN'T STOP ME FROM SEEING HER. SHE'S MY DAUGHTER." yelled Charlie.

"SHE DOESN'T WANT YOU RIGHT NOW. SHE NEEDS TIME, CHARLIE." yelled Edward.

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT WHAT SHE NEEDS?" yelled Charlie. I jumped out of the bed and ran over and opened the door. I wrapped my arms around Edward who wrapped his around me. "Bella-"

"No, don't bother. I can't do this now. Just leave us alone." I said as I pulled Edward to my room.

I quickly shut the door before Charlie could follow us in. I walked into my closet and striped off my dress, bra and panties leaving them on the floor. I quickly pulled on a clean pair of white cotton panties, a white bra, a pair of yoga pants and a white t-shirt. I pulled a small bag off my shelf and packed some cloths the next few days of school. I walked out of the closet and went into the bathroom. I grabbed my toiletries and medications and tossed them in my bag. I looked up at Edward with tears in my eyes.

"Take me away, please." I begged.

He simply nodded his head yes and picked up my bag for me. He wrapped his arm around my waist as he opened the door and lead me downstairs. As soon as they heard us coming down the stairs, Charlie, Renee, Esme and Carlisle came running to the entry room. They took one look at my bag on Edward's shoulders and started to say something. But I held up my hand to stop them.

"I need to be alone with Edward right now. He is the only one who can help me. I'm sorry if that hurts you but this is what I need. We are going to go and get him some things. We will be going to school tomorrow if you need anything." I said.

"Bella-" started Charlie but Renee interrupted him.

"No, let her go, Charlie. She needs this." she whispered through her own tears. Charlie barely nodded his head and moved out of the way.

"Bella, will you be at your chemo appointment tomorrow?" whispered Carlisle.

"I don't know. I'm not sure it's worth it anymore." I whispered. He simply nodded his head.

Edward and I moved passed them quickly and stepped out the door. I felt my knees give out so Edward swept me up into his arms and carried me over to his house. He opened the door and walked in. We found Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Ben and Angela all sitting in the living room. As soon as we walked in they stood up. Edward made to walk past them but I stopped him. We were going to need to heal together.

"Edward and I are going away for at least a few days. We will still be going to school but we need to be alone. You all are welcome to join us. I'm not sure where we are going but right now I think we need to be together." I aid softly. They all nodded their heads in agreement.

"We can go to our beach house down at La Push." said Jasper softly.

We all agreed and Edward carried me up to his room. He sat me down on his bed and started to pack his bag. As soon as he was done he wrapped his arm around my waist and lead me downstairs. Emmett and Alice were waiting for us. They explained that Rose, Jasper, Ben and Angela went home to pack a bag. We were going to meet at Angela's house and pick up her and Ben.

We loaded into Edward's Volvo. I could see everyone watching us from my house. I know I hurt them but I just couldn't handle them right now. I just needed my friends. We drove slowly to Angela's. Rose and Jasper were already there. We waited a few minutes before Angela came running out of her house screaming at her parents with Ben on her heels.

"I DON'T REALLY GIVE A FUCK WHAT YOU THINK. RIGHT NOW I NEED MY FRIENDS." she screamed.

She and Ben jumped in Rose's BMW. Robert and Ann came running out of their house after her but we took off before they could reach us. We made the 15 mile trip in silence. We didn't need to talk. I leaned my head on Edward's shoulder and let my tears fall. We pulled up in front of a large white house. We slowly got our of the car and grabbed our bags. We all walked slowly into the house and just stood there. We threw our bags on the ground and went to sit on the couches. As we sat there I couldn't stop the tears from pouring down my face.

"Why did it have to be them?" I whispered. "Hadn't they gone through enough?"

"It's not fair." cried Alice as Jasper pulled her into his lap.

"It sucks." bellowed Emmett through his tears.

"I don't understand why people drink drunk. I mean how fucking careless." snapped Ben.

"They don't give a shit as long as they get their next drink. Who the fuck cares that good people like Garrett and Kate are on the road." whispered Angela.

"It's not fair. They gave up so much to get through the leukemia. She gave up her family to marry him. They were supposed to live happily ever after. What is the point of even trying now?" I whispered through my tears.

"Bella, you have to keep fighting. You know he would want you to beat this." whispered Rose.

"I…don't…know…if …I …do…it ….without….him." I sobbed. "He…was…the…only one….who …really….understood."

Nobody else said anything. We just sat there and cried together as a family. Eventually we all moved to the bedrooms. Edward laid me on the bed and pulled me into his arms. He held me as we cried together for hours. We eventually fell asleep.

I had a nightmare that Garrett and Kate blamed me for getting them killed. They yelled and screamed at my that I was the one who killed them. I woke up screaming and crying. Edward pulled me into his arms and held me until I calmed down. We slowly got up and got ready for school. The eight of us met in the living room. Not a one of us smiled, or laughed like normally would. Quietly we got into our cars and drive to school.

As we got out of the car I noticed that a lot of people were crying. Many of them looked over at us and stared as we made our way to our lockers. Mike Newton came over to say something to me but Edward just shook his head at him. Mike understood and walked away. Alice, Angela and I walked to English together. Everyone stopped and stared at us as we made our way to our seats. I could feel the tears falling down my face. Mr. Owens came in and just sat at his desk. The bell rang and he still just sat there. A few minutes later, Eleazar came over the loud speaker.

"This past weekend, our school suffered the loss of two incredibly students and human beings. Garrett Mitchell and Kate Denali will both be missed. School tomorrow will be canceled so that students may attend their funeral. They will be having a joint service beginning at 10am. Please take a moment to keep their families in your prayer. Thank you."

I felt my shoulder's shake as the sobs rocked through my body. I felt Mr. Owens come over kneel in front of me as he wrapped his arms around me. We spent the entire hour in silence. Nobody needed to say anything. What was there to say? We all felt cheated and hurt. As the bell rang, Angela and I made our way slowly to Government. We spent government in silence to. It seems the teacher were having just as hard of a time with this as we were. The bell rang and we headed off to trig. We were about half way through another silent hour when the door opened and a young girl handed Mr. Varner a note. He read it quickly, frowned and looked up at me.

"Bella, you need to go to Eleazar's office, please." he said softly.

I simply nodded my heads, grabbed my bag and walked out. I walked in silence down to his office. I opened the door and Mrs. Cope pointed us to the conference room to the right. I pushed the door opened softly and fell to my knees. Sitting at the table with Eleazar, Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, Ben, Peter, William, Charlie, John and Edward were James and Victoria.


	34. Chapter 34

They both looked like they hadn't slept in weeks. They ran over and fell to their knees with me. They wrapped their arms around me and we sat there for a few minutes crying together.

"It's…not…fair." I sobbed.

"I know its not." cried James.

"Why them?" I begged through my tears.

"I don't know." whispered Victoria through her tears.

I could hear the everyone crying with us. Slowly James pulled Victoria and I to our feet and lead us to the table. I sat in the chair next to Victoria.

"Gentlemen, Victoria and I were hoping you would serve as pallbearer's for Garrett and Kate. He valued your friendship very much." asked James with a shaky voice.

"It would be an honor." whispered Carlisle through his tears. I could tell this hit him just as hard as it did me.

"Of course." said Ben, Emmett and Jasper. Edward managed to nod this head as the tears fell down his face. He, Garrett, Kate and I had become nearly inseparable in the last few weeks. The others agreed.

"Thank you so much. Bella, we know this is a lot to ask but would you please play your cello for us. Garrett really loved to listen to you play." said Victoria through her tears.

"Of…course…I…will." I sobbed.

"May we speak with Bella and Edward alone for just a minute please?" asked Victoria.

Eleazar nodded his head and lead the others out of the room. Once the door was shut, James and Victoria both looked at me and grabbed one of my hands.

"Bella, we found this letter that Garrett had written to you all before he went in to remission. We know he would want you to have a chance to read it." whispered James as he let his tears fall. "He and Kate cared about you all so much."

"I…loved…them…both." I whispered through my tears.

"We know you did, sweetheart." said Victoria.

"Bella, we know you think it's not worth continuing your treatments, but it is worth it. Garrett and Kate would want you to keep fighting." whispered James.

"I know they would but its so hard. I don't know if I can do it with out them." I whispered as my tears fell down my face.

"Bella, you can do it. Garrett was ready to give up until he met you. He was tired of trying. Even with Kate's help, he was still alone. You gave him the strength to keep fighting, to win. Please don't quit on them now." cried Victoria as she shook with tears.

"I'll try." I whispered.

I hugged them goodbye and promised to keep fighting. It was going to be so hard without them. But I knew they were right. They left and Edward wrapped me in his arms as he walked me back out to the office and out to the hall. I stopped short when I came face to face with Irena and Laurent. They didn't seem nearly as distraught as James and Victoria. I saw Tanya standing behind them. She looked like she has been crying for days.

"Tanya, I'm so sorry. Please let me know if you need anything." I whispered. I reached out to pulled her into a hug but Irena stepped in my way.

"Keep you hands off my daughter. If it wasn't for you and that boy, my Katerina may still be alive." sneered Irena. I felt my blood boil.

"ME? WHAT ABOUT YOU? YOU WERE THE ONE WHO KICKED HER OUT. YOU WERE THE ONE WHO FORCED HER TO CHOOSE. YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN HELPING HER BUT INSTEAD YOU ABANDONED HER. YOU MADE TANYA HAVE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN YOU AND KATE. YOU MAKE ME SICK" I screamed. I noticed that several teachers and students had come out into the hall to see what was going on.

"How dare you?" she snapped at me.

"SHE'S RIGHT MOTHER. ALL YOU EVER CARED ABOUT WAS HOW PEOPLE SAW US. I LOVED KATE. YOU TOLD ME THAT IF I SUPPORTED HER AND GARRETT THAT YOU WOULD DISOWN ME. WELL YOU KNOW WHAT I DON'T GIVE A SHIT. YOU CAN KICK ME OUT JUST LIKE YOU DID HER. I HATE YOU FOR TAKING MY SISTER AWAY FROM ME." screamed Tanya as she feel to her knees. I reached down and pulled her into my arms.

"You don't deserve either of them." I snapped. I turned and lead Tanya away from her parents. Everyone in the hall parted ways as I took her to the ladies room. I helped her inside and we cleaned our faces. "You aren't alone. You still have us."

"Thank you, Bella." she cried. "Thank you for loving my sister. I'm really going to miss her."

"I am to. She was the best sister ever." I whispered.

"I am going to call my grandparents to come pick me up. Will you wait with me?" begged Tanya.

"Of course I will." I said.

We went back out to the hall everyone had gone back to their classes except for Edward. He wrapped his arms around us both as we went to the office. Tanya used the phone to call hr grandparents. They said they would be here in 10 minutes to get her. We went back to the hall and sat on the benches to wait. We didn't need to say anything. I just held Tanya in my arms as she grieved the loss of her sister. The door to the office opened and Irena and Laurent came storming out. They looked down at us.

"Let's go Tanya." snapped Irena. Tanya went to say something but a older man came up behind us and spoke first. He had long silver hair and beautiful blue eyes. Standing next to him was a dark haired woman with black eyes.

"Tanya won't be going anywhere with you, Irena." he said firmly. "You lost your right to your daughter when you made her choose."

"Father, you don't-" Laurent started.

"Laurent, you don't deserve her either. Now leave." commanded the woman. Irena and Laurent stormed away. The woman pulled Tanya into her arms. "You must be Bella. Kate told us such wonderful things about you. I'm glad to see they were true. I'm Didyme Denali and this my husband, Marcus."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. This is my boyfriend, Edward Cullen. I am very sorry for your loss. I loved Kate very much." I said softy as a tear fell from my eye.

"We know, dear. Kate loved you very much. She spoke to us just Saturday morning about how you help her and Tanya finally talk. We know you are going through a very difficult time right now but please let us know if we can help in anyway." said Marcus.

"Thank you so much." I whispered.

I gave Tanya one last hug and watched her grandparent lead her out. I knew she was going to be ok. I would always be there for her. The bell rang for lunch. Edward and I slowly made our way to the music room. We found everyone already there. We slowly joined the others on the floor. The room was so lonely with out Garrett and Kate. I felt the tears fall as thought about the last time I saw them.

"I never got to tell them I loved them." Angela whispered.

"I never got to tell them thank you for never quitting." whispered Edward as he cried into my head.

"I never got to tell them how strong I thought they were." whispered Alice. She was sitting in Jasper's lap sobbing.

"I never go to tell them about how they encouraged me to apply to Harvard." said Rosalie as Emmett rocked her in his arms.

"I never got to tell them that I was proud of them." whispered Emmett.

"I never got to thank them for bringing us all together." cried Jasper.

"I never got to tell them thank you for loving us all so much." whispered Ben through his tears.

"I never got to watch them shine." whispered Peter.

"I never got to thank them for helping me realize how much I needed help. He told me to take a chance and let everyone love me." I cried. "They went to every chemo treatment with me. He promised to always be there with me. How can I do this with out him?"

No one answered my question. I knew they didn't know how any of us were going to get through this without them. They brought us together. They made us a family. Just then the alarm on my cell phone went off to remind me to go take my pill. I froze as I stared at it. Emmett slowly reached over and turned it off for me. He reached over and pulled me and Edward to our feet. He motioned for the others to get up.

"Let's go take you pill." he whispered.

"I can't." I cried softly. "We did that together."

"We still are." whispered Emmett. "He is in your heart, sister."

"Ok."

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me to follow Emmett and Rose out into the hall. The others followed us closely. I could feel my legs shake as we walked to the nurse's office. I slowly pushed the door open and Edward walked me in. The nurse turned and looked at me with tears in her eyes.

"Here you go, dear." She cried as she gave me my pill and a bottle of water. I slowly swallowed my pill.

"Thank…you." I cried.

I felt my knees give out. Edward swept me up into his arms and carried me out. Everyone was waiting for me outside of the door. They wrapped their arms around us and cried with me. The bell rang signaling the end of lunch. Slowly we broke apart. Edward and I made our way to our biology classroom. We walked into the classroom slowly. The entire school was so quiet. I think in many ways this was everyone's way to give Garrett and Kate the respect they deserve. We went and sat down at our table. I scooted my chair back till it was in front of their table. I laid my head down and let my tears flow once again. I felt Edward do the same as the bell rang. For several minutes everyone was quiet.


	35. Chapter 35

"Do you all remember when we were in second grade and Garrett brought his teenage mutant ninja turtle to school? Kate took it and made paper dresses for it. All the boys in the class made fun of him because he refused to take them off after she worked so hard on them." said Austin as he cried.

"He loved her from the moment he saw her." I said softly. Everyone turned to look at me. "He told me how he saw her sitting on the swings on the first day of Kindergarten. He said she took his breathe away when she smiled at him. He told me he regretted wasting so much time without her. I told him that was silly, they had been together for 4 years. He said that was true but they wasted 9 perfectly good years."

"Kate fell in love with him that day to." said Edward. " She said she sat on that swing waiting for him to come over and talk to her but he never did. So she hopped off and ran over to him. She grabbed his hand. She said she felt a shock when their hands touched. She smiled and told him that he was her best friend. She said she was afraid that he would never love her the way she did him. Then the first day of freshman year he walked up to her and pulled her into his arms. He said 'Baby, I'll follow you anywhere. I love you.' Then he kissed her."

"I wish I had taken the time to know them better. I was such a bitch to them. I will always regret it." cried Lauren. "They didn't deserve to die."

"You don't either." I said softly. She looked at my sadly. "I know you are thinking that it should have been you but you don't deserve it anymore than they did."

"I would watch how much they loved each other and I was jealous. No one will ever love me like that." she cried.

"I do." said Tyler Crowley. He slowly stood up and walked over to her. He pulled her into his arms. "I have loved you for so long."

"I've been waiting for you forever. I love you to." whispered Lauren as Tyler held her.

"I wish we could have helped him with his treatments. They were alone for so long. He was fighting so hard. He would have won." whispered Jessica.

"He already had." I whispered. Once again everyone turned to stare at me. "He found out two weeks ago that he was in remission."

"Why didn't he tell us?" asked Jessica.

"He…was…waiting…for…me." I cried. I took a deep breath. "The Monday after he found out, I was sitting in the room waiting for Carlisle to start my IV when the door opened and Garrett came in and laid in the bed next to me as he usually did. I asked him what he was doing there. He said we have chemo today. He promised to be there for…me…forever. They…came…to…every…treatment…with me."

I felt my body shake with sobs. Edward wrapped his arms around me tighter and pulled me into his chest. I heard the others crying and talking about how caring they were. How brave he was to suffer in silence. I could feel my anger rise as it occurred me that they never really saw him. They never noticed the months that he suffered alone.

"How did you all not think something was wrong with him months ago?" I asked loudly. Everyone stopped talking and looked at me.

"What do you mean Bella?" asked Mr. Banner with a knowing frown. He knew exactly what I meant. I think he realized that it needed to be said.

"Garrett spent six months going through chemo before I got here. How did you not notice?" I asked again a little harsh.

"It wasn't as obvious I guess." said Austin.

"How was it not obvious? He spent months losing weight. He spent months running out of classrooms just like I do, so he wouldn't vomit everywhere. Kate shaved his head bald when he started losing his hair. How did you not see that?" I snapped.

"We didn't see it." said Tyler.

"YOU CHOOSE NOT TO SEE IT." I screamed.

"That's not fair, Bella." said Lauren.

"Fair? You want to talk about fair? Was it fair that the only reason any of you really truly saw how much he was suffering was because I shaved my head at school? Was it fair when you all spread rumors about us fucking under the bleacher's because you would rather not have to admit that you all dropped the ball? Did any of you notice the circles under Kate's eyes? Did any of you notice the bruises on Garrett's arms from IV after IV after IV?"

"No, we didn't." said Jessica sadly.

"Do you have any idea how it must have felt when the people he has known his entire life didn't notice when he was sick? How alone he felt? How much guilt he felt that Kate had rub his back as he threw up instead of getting to go to the football game? Or how about when she had to hold him in her arms and let him cry because the pain was so intense he wanted to claw out his stomach? Anyone?" I snapped.

"We were wrong." said Edward. "I can look back and honestly say that I didn't notice. I was to wrapped up in my own selfish world to see what he was going through. I will regret that for the rest of my life."

"Me to." said Tyler. Everyone quickly nodded their heads in agreement.

"I think what Bella is trying to say is that we all need to open our eyes and look around at each other. We all have things in our lives that we suffer through. It may be something like cancer or it may be your parents getting divorced. The point is that you all need to support each other." said Mr. Banner.

Just them the bell rang and everyone slowly got up and started to walk out of the room. I reached over and wrapped my arm around Edward's waist as he wrapped his around mine. We walked in silence to our music class. It was just us and Peter now. We walked in and found Peter sitting at the piano. He wasn't playing. I noticed his shoulders were shaking as he cried. I ran over and threw my arms around him.

"I'm…going….to…miss…them." He cried softly.

"Me…to." I choked out.

"Bella…You…can't…give…up." cried Peter.

"I…know." I whispered softly.

The three of us spent the rest of the hour in silence. The only noise were the sobs that escaped us from time to time. As the bell rang, Edward and I walked down to our lockers. Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Ben and Angela were waiting for us. We quietly gathered our things. They were going to go back to the beach house while Edward and I went to my chemo treatment. I didn't really want to go but I promised James and Victoria that I would try. Edward and I walked slowly out to his car and headed off to the hospital. As we walked into the noisy hospital I realized that life moved on without us. I knew the community was shaken by Garrett and Kate's deaths but we still had to move on. The only trouble was I wasn't sure how to move on.

We went up to Carlisle's office and sat in our usual chairs. I felt the tears fall as I looked at the chairs that Garrett and Kate always sat in. I kept expecting them to jump out and tell us they were just kidding. I heard Carmen call my name softly. I tried to stand up to follow her by my legs gave out as I cried. Edward swept me into his arms and carried me into the familiar room. Seeing Garrett's empty bed just made me cry harder. Edward laid us down in my bed, keeping his arms tightly wrapped around me as we cried. This is where Garrett and I started. Carlisle came into the room. I could tell that he didn't sleep at all last night. His eyes were red from crying and his cloths were wrinkled.

"Bella, how you hanging in there?" he whispered softly as a tear fell from his eye.

"Not great." I whispered. "I miss them."

"I do to." he whispered. We just sat there for a few minutes. "It really isn't fair."

"No it's not but since when is any of this fair." said Edward angrily. "I mean why did Garrett and Bella have to be sick in the first place? Why did the piece of shit have to have so much to drink that night? Why did he have to get in his car and kill them?"

"I wish I knew." whispered Carlisle as he broke down into sobs. I wrapped my arms around him and held him as he cried. "I sit here and tell you that everything is going to be ok. We are going to fight this. I really believe it. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. But at least when someone dies after fighting their families know that they never gave up. He won. He beat his death sentence. Why did they have to be taken away from us?"

"Is it worth it?" I whispered.

"Is what worth it?" asked Carlisle.

"Watching us fight and finally beat the cancer. Is it worth it?" I asked.

"Yes" he said softly.

"Then that is all that matters." I said. "Let's get started."


	36. Chapter 36

Carlisle got my IV started but didn't leave the room this time. He sat on Garrett's bed and we talked. We talked about school. He was appalled at how Kate's parents were behaving. He told me that Charlie and Renee were taking care of the funeral for her. Her parent's refused to claim her. I asked him how Charlie, Renee and Esme were doing. He told me they weren't doing great. He said William, Catherine, John, Elizabeth, Robert and Ann all came over and stayed at my house last night with them. He said they understood that we needed time to heal together. They knew how close we all were and they were willing to give us some time. He promised to tell them that we were ok. I made sure he told them that I came in for my treatment. I wanted them to know I wasn't going to give up. As soon as my IV ran out, he took it out and walked with us to the elevator.

"I love you, Carlisle." I whispered as I gave him a big hug.

"I love you to, Bella. We will see you at the funeral's tomorrow." He said as he hugged me back. He released me and pulled Edward into his arms. "I love you Edward. Never forget that."

"I love you to, Dad." whispered Edward.

We got into the elevator and made our way back to the beach house. We went in and found everyone was waiting for us in the living room. They asked me how chemo went and we told them. We told them how all of our parent's were healing together just as we were. I told them that Carlisle was going to reassure our parents that we were doing ok. They had all gone to the store to grab a few things for dinner. They started making the eggs and I ended up in the bathroom. Edward held me as I threw up and cried for hours. Eventually he carried me out to the living room. The others had already cleaned up their mess from dinner. Edward and I sat on the couch. The others came in and joined us in the living room.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow?" asked Emmett.

"Well, the funerals start at 10am so I guess we need to be there by 9:30am." said Rose as a tear slipped from her eye.

"Before Garrett and I told you all about the leukemia, we talked about what we wanted at our funerals." I whispered softly.

"What did you want?" asked Edward.

"First, we didn't want everyone to mope around the whole time. We wanted everyone to celebrate our life." I said softly as a tear fell out of my eye. "We didn't want everyone to wear black. We wanted…"

I couldn't continue. I could feel my body shake as I sobbed. Edward wrapped his arms around me.

"It's ok, love." whispered Edward. "What else?"

"We…wanted…happy …music." I stammered.

"Ok, what else?" whispered Jasper as he kneeled next to me.

"We…wanted…a….cake."

"Anything else." asked Emmett.

"We…" I started before I had to run to the bathroom.

Edward held me as I cried after throwing up. I eventually fell asleep in his arms. I woke up several times to throw up. I knew that Garrett would want me to continue treatments but it would be hard to fight this without his by my side. He and Kate were my strength. They were the ones who encouraged me to fight for Edward. They encouraged me to never give up, to never stop trying. After the fifth time I had gotten up to throw up, Edward and I gave up on sleep. I decided that it was time I read his letter. Edward was going to let me read it alone but I knew he needed to be with me while I read it. So we wrapped ourselves up in our blanket and went to sit on the porch. I slowly open the envelop, with shaky hands, and unfolded the letter. I slowly began to read his words.

_Bella,_

_If you are reading this letter then that mean I have lost my fight. I want you to know that I love you so much, sister. The day I walked into chemo and saw you sitting there, I was given a new purpose, a new reason to keep going. I was given you. _

_I was fixing to stop fighting. I had given up any hope that I could beat my death sentence. It had gotten so hard to keep going. I hated how hard it was on my parents and Kate. I felt guilty that Kate was having to give up so much to take care of me. I love her more than I ever thought I could love anyone. But she was tired. She never complained, never gave up. I felt guilty for even thinking about letting go. But then I found a new reason to go on. I found you. I saw that you needed me to keep fighting. I saw how alone you were, how scared and lost you were. I knew then that I was supposed to help you. At least, I hope I have. _

_You gave me a reason to fight. I know that you are sitting there thinking that it is not worth it. That you should just give up but you can't do that. Look in Edward's eyes. You can see just how much he loves you. How painful it is for him see you hurting. I have never seen him as vulnerable as he is when he is with you. Be his strength. Fight for him. Let him help you. Let Emmett and Rose, Jasper and Alice, Ben and Angela help you. Please help Kate. She has fought so hard to help me. _

_Bella, just know that no matter what happens to me, I love you. You are my best friend, my little sister. My Hero. Take care of yourself, beautiful Bella._

_I'll always be with you,_

_Garrett_

_I felt my tears fall down my face as I read each word. I knew he was right. I couldn't stop. I couldn't quit. I had to beat this for him. I owed him at least that much. Edward pulled me into his arms and we let our grief out together. We were going to leave it here. I heard the others start moving around inside. I pulled Edward up and lead his inside the house. They were all in the kitchen getting breakfast. I cleared my throat to get their attention._

"_I just wanted to thank you all for everything you have done for me." I said softly. "I love you all so much. You are my family."_

"_Bella, we should thank you." said Jasper. "You and Garrett brought us together."_

"_He's right, Bella. You both showed us how to fight for what we have." said Rose._

"_To never give up." whispered Ben._

"_To trust each other." said Angela._

"_To never take for granted what we have." said Alice softly._

"_You both taught us how to love." whispered Edward. _

"_Bella, you both reminded us all that we need each other. You made us a family." whispered Emmett._

_We all hugged each other tightly. They finished their breakfast while Edward and I took at shower together. We caressed each other as we helped each other wash. We stepped out and helped each other dry off. We went back into our room and got dresses. Edward put on a pair of jeans and a blue button down shirt. I pulled on a green cotton dress and a pair of matching flat. I pulled on a white scarf on my head. We went back down stairs to find the others waiting for us. Emmett, Ben, and Jasper were both wearing jeans. Emmett was wearing a white button down while Ben was wearing a tan shirt and Jasper was wearing a forest green dress shirt. Alice was wearing a Purple and white peasant skirt and purple sweater. Rosalie was wearing a red cotton sundress and a white sweater. Angela was wearing a baby pink blouse and a grey skirt. I knew Kate and Garrett would be glad we glad that we weren't wearing black. _

_We had all decided it was time for us to go back home. So we loaded our bags into our cars and left to go to say our final goodbyes. We pulled up to the church just before 9:30. The parking lot and streets were already full from all the people who came to say goodbye. We slowly walked in the front door of the church. As we went to go find seats into the sanctuary, I was stopped at the door by Robert._

"_Bella and Edward, you need to follow me." _

"_Ok." I said. I wasn't sure if they would be happy that I took their children away for a couple of days. I handed Emmett my cello and followed him down a long hallway. He stopped in front of a door and turned to face me._

"_Bella, Edward, I want to thank you for letting Angela go with you Sunday. I will admit I didn't understand how much she needed you all. I am glad she has friends like you." he whispered softly._

"_I'm sorry for the way it happened. But we needed to heal together. I love Angela very much. She is my sister." I whispered softly._

"_Thank you, dear." he said as he opened the door. He lead me into where James, Victoria, Carlisle, Esme, Marcus, Didyme, Tanya, Charlie and Renee were waiting. As soon as I saw my parents I ran over and hugged them._

"_I'm so sorry I left." I sobbed. "We just needed to be alone."_

"_It's ok, baby. We know." soothed Renee._

"_Just never forget we love you , Bella. Forever." cried Charlie._

"_I love you to."_

"_Bella, Edward, we want you to sit with us. You are both family." whispered James._

"_I can't. I'm not-"_

"_Yes, you are, dear. Garrett and Kate loved you like a sister. That makes you my daughter." said Victoria pulling me in for a hug._

"_Thank you so much."_


	37. Chapter 37

For the next few minutes we all just stood there in silence. I noticed that Tanya was wearing a yellow dress that was Kate's. She was so distraught at losing her sister that she couldn't speak to me. I knew eventually we would have a chance to talk but this wasn't the right moment. After several minutes, Robert told us it was time. James and Victoria pulled me in between them as we made our way to the sanctuary. The music started and we slowly made our way to the front pew of the church. Peter was playing the piano for them. I know it meant a lot to them that they would ask him. I looked around and noticed that nearly everyone from our high school was here. They were all wearing bright, shiny colored cloths. I turned and looked at Emmett, who was sitting behind me.

"How?" I whispered.

"We told you we are a family." he whispered back.

Robert went up to the podium and offered a small prayer. We sang a few songs from the hymnal before we sat back down in our seats.

"It is always hard to see young people taken away from us. But it is especially hard this time. Garrett and Kate had faced many difficult obstacles over the last several months of their lives. They taught us to love. They taught us to fight. Garrett and Kate loved music almost as much as they loved each other. They especially loved to hear Bella Swan play her cello. Bella has agreed to play one more time for them."

I slowly stood up and walked up to the my cello. I picked it up and went to step in front of the mike. I took a deep breath and looked at everyone in the room.

"Garrett and I had a conversation a few weeks ago about what we wanted our funeral's to be like. Garrett told me that he wanted people to celebrate his life not mourn his death. I know that Garrett and Kate would be happy to know how loved they really are. I will always miss them but I will not lay down and stop fighting. Today we say goodbye to our friends. Tomorrow we live for them."

I went and sat down in the chair that had been placed in between their caskets. I closed my eyes as I began to play for them. I put all of my love for them and my family. I put all my stored anger and hurt for them being taken away. I let everyone know that no matter what happens we will live for them. We will fight to help one another and we will win. As I played the final few notes, I opened my eyes and looked at my family.

I stood slowly and placed my cello back against it's stand. I turned to look at everyone. They were all very quiet as I made my way back to my seat. James and Victoria wrapped their arms around my shoulders as Robert went back up. He read a few scriptures out of the bible and said a closing prayer. He announced that the family has requested the gravesite service to be for family only. Edward, Carlisle, Peter, Eleazar and William all went to stand by Garrett's casket while Charlie, Emmett, Jasper, Ben, and John went to Kate's. They carried Kate's casket out first and put it in the hearse. They carried out Garrett's out next and put it in next to Kate's.

James and Victoria lead me and Edward to the limo. I started to protest but they insisted we join them. We agreed and got inside. We followed the hearse's to the cemetery. Their bodies would be laid to rest under a willow tree. They would lay side by side for all of eternity. I looked around and found my family standing around us. Charlie had Renee in his arms. In the short amount of time that we had known Kate, she really had become theirs. Carlisle and Esme were hugging Alice and Emmett. William and Catherine had Jasper and Rose in their arms. Ben was squeezed in between John and Elisabeth. Angela was with Robert and Ann. I saw Peter, Charlotte, Eleazar and Carmen standing with Marcus, Didyme and Tanya. A young dark skinned boy had Tanya pulled into his arms. I knew this had to be Seth.

Garrett and Kate were placed in their graves as we all watched with tears going down our faces. This was the time for us to say our goodbye.

"Goodbye Garrett and Kate. I will always love you. I will never stop fighting. Garrett take care of my sister." I said softy.

"Garrett and Kate, you will be missed. We will love you forever." said Edward wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Goodbye Garrett and Kate. Thank you for letting us help you." said Rose.

"Goodbye Garrett and Kate. Thank you for showing us what love is." said Jasper.

"Goodbye Garrett and Kate. You will always be in our hearts." said Angela.

"Goodbye Garrett and Kate. Thank you for helping us understand." said Ben.

"Goodbye Garrett and Kate. Thank you for our family." said Emmett.

"Goodbye Garrett and Kate. May you rest in piece knowing you are loved. I love you both." whispered Tanya.

No one else said anything. We all stood there and watched our friends being lowered into the ground. I knew it was going to be hard to carry on but they wouldn't want us to sit around and grieve. They would want us to live.

"Thank you for everything. Please know that we love you all very much. You are still members of our family." said James.

"Garrett and Kate loved each other. Many people told them they were to young to know what love is but they weren't. We celebrate their love today." said Victoria.

They pointed behind us and I turned to see big cake sitting on a table. I couldn't stop the chuckle that left my mouth as I let a tear fall. This is what they would have wanted. We spent the next hour eating cake and telling stories about Garrett and Kate. I finally had a chance to talk to Tanya. She said she had moved in with Marcus and Didyme. They loved down in La Push so she was going to change schools. I made her promise to stay in contact with me. I still wanted to be her friend. All of our parents forgave us for running away. They understood that we needed each other. We cleaned up our cake mess and were about to load up when James and Victoria asked for our attention. We all turned to look at them.

"We would like to still hold the benefit concert this Saturday evening. Garrett and Kate were both survivors. We want to be able to give other's a chance to live. Please come out and support our cause." said James softly.

I walked up to them and gave them a hug. "It is an honor to be able to play. Thank you."

"The honor is ours. We were proud to hear you made it to your chemo appointment yesterday. Never give up, Bella. Never stop fighting." whispered Victoria.

"I won't. I will beat this just like Garrett did." I whispered.

I rode home with Charlie and Renee. We needed sometime together as a family. As soon as we waked into the house, they pulled me over to the couch. I told them about what had happened at school yesterday with Irena and Laurent. They were appalled that they could treat their daughter's like that. I told them about Biology. They couldn't understand how nobody saw the changes in Garrett and Kate before we moved here. We continued to talk for the next few hours. Eventually the fatigue hit me and I went up to bed. I dreamed that Garrett and Kate were sitting on my bed. They told me I had to be strong. They said I had to be strong for them. I promised to always fight and never give up. I stood up to walk away when they pulled me into their arms and told me they loved me.

The rest of the week was hard. We went back to school on Wednesday and tried to act normal. We were still grieving but we weren't moping. The teacher taught their lessons and we tried to focus on them but it was hard. By the end of the day I was exhausted. Edward and I went to chemo. That was the hardest part for me. Carlisle didn't stay with us this time. Edward and I didn't need to speak. He just held me in his arms. We could both feel Garrett and Kate with us. Carlisle came in and took out my IV. He said he got my test results back but they were still the same. We would keep trying. I spent most of Wednesday night throwing up. Charlie and Renee helped me through it all. They held me and let me cry. They whispered encouragement and tried to give me strength.

I spent a lot of the day on Thursday running from classrooms to the bathroom. I was never alone. Either Alice, Rose or Angela was with me if they could be. Even Jessica came and helped me once. It was a small gesture. I spent lunch laying with my head in Edward's lap as I cried from the pain in my stomach. They tried to get me to go home but I needed to be there. Biology and Music went by quickly. After school, Edward came over and held me as I took a nap. Charlie came in and apologized for how he treated Edward the morning we left. Edward understood that he was trying to help me. I was his little girl after all. Eventually, Edward went home and Charlie took his place. He held me as I slept all night.

Friday went by in a blur. I was so exhausted that I barely remember even being in school. Before I knew it I was sitting in Carlisle's office getting my chemo treatment. He was worried about how tired I had become. I told him it was just my bodies way of trying to heal from the pain but I don't think he bought it.

Edward stayed with me Friday night. He held me as I threw up for hours. He washed my face and let me cry. He held me and told me how much he loves me. Eventually I managed to get a few hours of sleep.


	38. Chapter 38

I woke up around noon on Saturday. I struggled to get the strength to get out of bed. My body was really weak. I needed to get to the bathroom. I barely made it when I felt Edward wrapping his arms around me.

"It's ok, love. I'm here." He whispered.

"Thank you, Edward." I whispered back as I cleaned my face. I slowly stood up and brushed my teeth. "I don't know how I could ever get through this with out you."

"You will never find out. I am here forever, Bella." He said as he helped me back into my room.

"Edward, make love to me, please." I whispered softly.

"Bella, what about your parents?" he asked softly.

"I don't care. I need to feel you inside of me. Please." I begged as a tear fell from my eye. He gently wiped it away.

"Ok, love." he said as he stood up and went to lock the door.

He walked back over to me and lifted me to my feet and helped me pull of my shorts and tank top. I slowly pulled off his shirt and pushed his pajama pants down to his feet. I leaned up and kissed him gently as I felt him pull my panties off of me. I pushed his boxers down and wrapped my legs around him as he laid me on the bed. Edward moved his lips down to my collar bone, to my breast. He took my hard nipple in his mouth. I stifled my moan as he bit down gently on my nipple.

"Edward, I need you now." I cried out softly. He slowly made his way back up my body and positioned himself at my wet core after slipping on a condom.

"As you wish, love." he whispered as he slowly pushed into me.

Once he was completely sheathed inside of me he paused for a moment to let me get used to his size. I lifted my hips to encourage him move with me. He slowly began to move in and out of me. But I needed more. I needed him to move faster.

"Faster, Edward, please fuck me faster." I moaned softly.

He started thrusting faster and faster. I dug my heels into his ass. I could feel him thrusting deeper and deeper inside of me. I could feel him as our bodies met and became one. I could feel myself tensing as my orgasm build.

"Don't ever stop loving me." I panted as Edward and I made love.

"Never…going…to…stop…ever" he grunted as he pumped into me harder and faster. I could tell his own release was coming soon also.

"Come with me, Edward. Please." I begged him softly.

"I love you, Bella." he moaned as my walls clenched around him as we climaxed together.

"I love you, Edward. Forever." I panted slightly as I we slowed our movements.

Edward rolled off of me and pulled the condom off and wrapped it in a tissue and tossed it in to the trash can by my bed. We laid there for several minutes in each others arms. I was home with him. I knew I wanted him for ever. I knew we were young and but I knew what I wanted. I didn't want to waste anymore time. I leaned up and looked Edward in the eye.

"Edward, I want to get married."

"What?" he asked softly.

"I think we should get married as soon as we can." I said softly.

"Bella, are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. I don't want to waste any more time. I know it seems kind of rash but I love you. I'll understand of you don't want to marry me." I said softly as a tear fell from my eye.

"Bella, I have wanted to marry you since the moment I saw you. I just didn't want to rush you." he whispered. "I love you, silly girl."

"I love you, silly man." I whispered as I pressed my lips to his. "But we had better get cleaned up before Charlie and Renee come up here. I think we should tell everyone tomorrow at dinner."

Edward chuckled as he swept me into his arms and ran into the bathroom. He set me down and turned on the water. He helped me in and stepped in behind me. He began to wash me slowly. I felt a chill run through my body.

"Bella, are you ok? You feel kind of warm."

"I'm fine." I assured him.

He let it drop and we quickly finished our shower. We dried each other off and went to get dressed. Edward slipped into the cloths he wore to school yesterday. I slipped into pair of pajamas. I would change later for the benefit concert. Edward swept me into his arms and carried me down stairs. I wasn't very hungry so he laid me down on the couch. He kissed me goodbye and went home to change. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I felt was someone shaking my shoulders.

"Bella, you need to go change for the concert." whispered Renee. I slowly opened my eyes and sat up. My entire body ached from sleeping on the couch. "Bella, are you ok? You feel a little warm."

"I'm fine." I lied. I knew I was running a temperature again. But I had to perform tonight. Renee looked at me for a moment before letting it drop.

"Well, you had better go get changed. Edward will be here in 5 minutes."

"Ok, I'll hurry."

I got up and made my way up the stairs. I slowly pulled off my pajamas and pulled on my black leather pants, red strapless top and red heels. I added black scarf on my head and slowly made my way back downstairs. Kate and I had bought the leather pants to wear tonight and in Seattle. We wanted to wear something flashy. Even thought it was the middle of May, I pulled on my black leather jacket. I slowly made my way down the stairs to find Edward, Emmett, Jasper, Rose, Ben, and Angela waiting for me.

"Sorry I took so long." I mumbled.

"It's fine, love. Charlie and Renee left with Carlisle and Esme. We thought it might be nice if we went together." said Edward wrapping his arm around me. He looked great in a pair of tight black dress pants and a black dress shirt. "You look beautiful tonight, Bella."

"Thanks, you look pretty good yourself, handsome." I whispered as I pressed my lips on his. He reached up and cupped my face lightly to kiss me back but pulled back quickly.

"Bella, you are burning up."

"I'm fine." I said softly.

"You should be in bed, Bella." said Alice as she felt my checks. "You are running a fever."

"I'm going to call Dad." said Emmett pulling out his cell phone.

"NO!" I screamed. I took a deep breath to calm myself down. "I will tell him after the concert. I have to play."

"But-" started Jasper.

"No, I have to do this. I have to do it for Garrett and Kate. For Peter and William. Please." I whispered as a tear fell down my face.

"Ok, Bella but as soon as the concert is over we are taking you straight to Carlisle." said Rose.

"Deal."

We loaded into Emmett's jeep and headed to the school. I knew I should have told Carlisle now but I needed to do this. This was my chance to give back. My chance to find a cure so that someone won't have to do this. Emmett pulled up in front of the school and let the rest of out. The went to park and met us inside. Edward and I said good bye and went back stage to get ready. Edward and I were going to be the last two performer of the evening. At exactly 7pm, James and Victoria went out and started the program.

"Thank you for coming out tonight and supporting the fight against cancer. Cancer is a disease that effects not just the person who is sick but everyone close to them. Parents, siblings and friends are all effected by the pains and struggles of cancer. Please open you hearts and wallets to help us find a cure. So that no other families have to deal with watching their loved ones going through painful treatments and procedures. Thank you." said James.

For the next two hours we listened to musicians from all over the state of Washington. Orchestra's, bands, singers, and musician's from all over the state came to help us raise money for cancer research. Peter went on before Edward. He played the piece that Garrett was going to play in Seattle. He threw everything he had into the piece. I felt the tear fall down my face as I watched him from the side of the stage. Once he was down he stood up and bowed and walked up to me. He gave me a big hug and whispered in my ear.

"I'm very proud of you." he whispered as James introduced Edward.

Edward gave me a kiss and went to play his song. Edward went and sat on his piano bench. He took a deep breath and began to play. His fingers moved swiftly over the keys. I felt the love he has for me. The love he has for his family. I felt his hopes and dreams for our future. I felt our future. I knew that no matter what, we would be together for ever. As he played his final note, I felt a tear slip from my eye. He stood up, bowed and walked over to me. He pulled me into his arms and gave me a gentle kiss.

"I love you, Isabella." he whispered as James and Victoria went back on to the stage.

"Our final performer of the night is very special to us here in Forks. She is one of our own. She is currently fighting a fight against Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She helped bring our children together to help fight this battle. She encouraged us to support each other no matter how different our fights are. Thanks to her and others like her, we have raised over $20,000 tonight. Please welcome to the stage Isabella Swan." said Victoria.

I took off my leather jacket and handed it to Edward before I slowly made my way out to the stage with my cello. Everyone stood up and clapped for me. I looked out and saw Emmett, Jasper, Rose, Alice, Angela and Ben sitting in the front row. Our parents were sitting in the row behind them. I saw Tanya and her grandparents, Seth, Leah and I am guessing Jacob Black sitting next to them.

I sat down in the chair that had been placed for me in the middle of the stage. My entire body ached from the fever but I managed to hide it. I closed my eyes and began playing. As I played, I imagine mine and Edward's wedding. I pictures us in a small meadow with 100's of flowers blowing around us. I imagined myself wearing a simple white strapless dress. Rose, Alice and Angela were wearing blue sundress. Edward, Emmett, Jasper, and Ben were all wearing khaki pants and white dress shirts. All of our family and friends were gathered around us. They were celebrating our love with us. I reached up and kissed Edward gently as I played the last note. I slowly opened my eyes as I panted to catch my breathe. I looked around and saw everyone standing on their feet clapping for us but I couldn't hear them. I stood up slowly and looked around before I felt my body fall to the stage as I faded into the darkness.


	39. Chapter 39

EPOV

I sat on the side of the stage and watched my love playing her cello with everything she has. She looks so beautiful. She gets this look of pure joy on her face when she loses herself in the music. As I watch my fiancé play, I can't help but think about our wedding day. I can she her walking down the isle on Charlie's arm. He has tears in his eyes as he looks over at his baby. He places her hand in mine. I promise to love her and take care of her forever. She looks up at me. I raise her hand to my lips and press a gentle kiss on it before we turn and recite our vowels in front of our friends and family. Once we are declared husband and wife, I gently pull her into my arms and press a gentle kiss in her ruby red lips. We walk back down the isle, forever as one. I heard Bella play the last note of her song. I looked up at her and I knew something was wrong. She was panting, trying to catch her breath. I took a step out to the stage when she fell to the ground.

"BELLA!" I shouted as I ran over to her and pulled her into my arms. Her skin feels like it is on fire. "BELLA, WAKE UP."

"EDWARD, MOVE." shouts Carlisle as he runs over to her. I quickly let him pull her out of my arms. "OH MY GOD, SHE IS BURNING UP. WE NEED TO TAKE HER TO THE HOSPITAL NOW."

"IS SHE GOING TO BE OK?" screams Renee.

"I don't know." cried Carlisle as he lifts her in his arms.

Carlisle runs her out of the school with the rest of us running after him. He climbs into the backseat of his car while Esme jumps into the drivers seat with Renee getting in to. The rest of us jump into our various cars and take off to the hospital. None of us say anything. We all know we made a mistake by letting her play tonight.

Once we get to the hospital, we run into the ER. They tried to stop me from going back but Charlie told them I was family. The others wait in the waiting room, while we go back to her room. Carlisle is frantically trying to get her stabilized. I can feel the tears running down my face as I watch him trying to get her body cooled off. Suddenly, her entire body starts to shake violently.

"She's seizing!" yells Carlisle. "Get her on her side."

"I've got her." said some nurse. The nurse pulls her to her left side. Carlisle tries to stop her from swallowing her tongue.

"We need to get some cold packs in here now." snapped Carlisle. "We have to get the fever down now. If she has anymore seizures, we may lose her."

"Yes sir." she said as she ran from the room.

A few moments later she came in with an arm full of cold packs. Bella had stopped seizing. They quickly stripped her pants and shirt off of her and started covering her tiny body with ice packs. Once they had her covered, Carlisle began listening to her heart and lungs. He sighed as he listened to her. He came over to where Esme, Renee, Charlie, and I were standing. He had a grim look on his face.

"She had pneumonia. Both of her lungs are nearly completely full of fluids. She is running a fever of 104.3. If we don't get the fever to break soon…." he trailed off. "We are starting her on some high quantity antibiotics to fight the infection. At this point all we can do is wait."

"When will she wake up?" whispered Renee through her tears.

"I don't know. She is very sick. Did she mention anything to you all about not feeling good?" he asked looking at us.

"No, she felt a little warm this afternoon but she has just taken a nap. She said she felt fine." said Renee.

"When we picked her up for the concert, she was burning up. We tried to get her to stay home and let us call you, Dad, but she begged us not to. She said she needed to play at the concert for Garrett." I whispered as a tear fell from my eye.

"How could you not tell us, Edward?" snapped Carlisle. "I don't care how much she begs you. Her body was already working to hard to fight the leukemia, now the pneumonia. Playing tonight just made her body give out."

"I know. I'm sorry. I know it's all my fault." I choked out through my tears.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I'm just very worried about her." whispered Carlisle.

"We all know how stubborn she is." cried Charlie.

"Yes, she is." whispered Carlisle. "We are going to move her upstairs to a private room. Edward, you should go home."

"No." I said defiantly. "I am not leaving here until she does."

"Edward-" started Carlisle.

"No. I am not leaving her until she does. She is my life. I will not leave her." I snapped.

"Carlisle, let him stay." whispered Esme. "She needs him close to her."

"Fine." whispered Carlisle. "Go tell the others that she is being moved upstairs. She will be in room 309. They have to go home. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir." I whispered.

I turned a walked back out into the waiting room. The waiting room was full of kids, parents, and teachers from school. It took me a minute to find the others. They were sitting in the back corner with James, Victoria, William, Catherine, Robert, Ann, John, Elisabeth, Tanya, and Seth. I walked over to them and sat down next to Alice.

"How is she?" whispered Alice.

"Not good. She has pneumonia. She is running a fever of 104.3. She started seizing so they covered her with cold presses. It doesn't look good. They don't know if she will be able to pull through it." I whispered as I let my tears fall. "It's all my fault. I should have made her stay home tonight. I should have insisted on calling Dad."

"Why?" asked Victoria.

"When we picked her up for the concert, she was burning up. She begged us to let her play. She said she had to do it for Garrett." I cried.

"So stubborn." muttered James. "It's not your fault, Edward. You have to stay strong for her."

"I'm trying but it is so hard to watch her suffer so much. She is so perfect and I hate that I can't take the pain for her." I sobbed. "I can't lose her now. I love her so much."

"Edward, she is going to be ok. She is a fighter. She won't give up." whispered Rose.

"I hope your right." I whispered. "Anyway, they are moving her upstairs. Dad said you all should go home."

"No, we want to stay." said Emmett.

"He said you had to go home." I whispered. "I'll let you know if anything changes."

"Ok." they all whispered.

I hugged them all and made my way upstairs to Bella's room. Charlie and Renee were crying into each others arms as they watched Bella. She looked so peaceful. I pulled up a chairs and weaved my fingers with hers. I laid my head on her bed and waited for my fiancé to wake up. I heard the others pull up chairs and sit around me. They broke out in small talk while I thought back about the first day I saw my Bella.

We had been watching the movers moving the furniture into the house next door to ours for two days. Carlisle and Esme didn't know anything about our new neighbors and honestly I really didn't care. I came home from school that day and went up to my room to play the piano like I did everyday. It was the only time I ever felt somewhat happy. I had only been playing for about an hour when Esme came up and told me we were going next door to meet our new neighbors who had finally showed up. I just rolled my eyes and grumbled about how I didn't want to. She told me I had no choice so I walked next door with my parents, brother and sister. Carlisle knocked on the door and a few moments later it was pulled open by an attractive woman with shoulder length light brown hair and blue eyes. Standing behind her was a man who had short dark brown hair and brown eyes.

"I am Dr. Carlisle Cullen. This is my wife Esme, and our children Emmett, Edward, and Alice. We just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood."

"It's a pleasure you meet you. I am Renee Swan. This is my husband, Charlie. Our daughter Bella is upstairs." said Renee looking very intently at Carlisle. I looked over at my father and he seemed surprised to hear who they were. "Please won't you come in. I am sure Bella would love to meet you all."

"Thank you. I would love to meet her." said Carlisle. He pushed us all into the house. We all looked back at him a little confused but went and sat on the couches anyway. I just looked down at my feet. I was bored already.

"I'll just run get her." said Renee nervously. She turned and ran up the stairs. A few moments later, I heard her and I am guessing Bella come down the stairs. "Bella, this is Dr. Carlisle Cullen and his wife Esme. These are their children Emmett, Alice, and Edward."

At the mention of my name I looked up at Bella for the first time. She was stunning. She had long dark silky brown hair, ruby red lips, ivory skin. Then I looked into her eyes. I felt my breathe catch as our eyes met. I found my self lost in the most beautiful pair of chocolate brown eyes. It felt like I could see my soul in her. I wanted to run up to her and crush my lips to hers but I couldn't seem to get my feet to move. I wanted to tell her that she was incredibly beautiful but I couldn't seem to get the words out. After a few moments, she broke her eyes away from mine.


	40. Chapter 40

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Bella said softly. Her voice sounded like silk.

"The pleasure is ours, Bella. We were happy to hear that you were moving up here." said Carlisle.

"Bella, why don't you show Emmett, Edward, and Alice your room while we get to know Carlisle and Esme." said Renee.

Bella simply nodded her head and motioned for us to follow her up the stairs. She lead us up the stairs and into her room. She shut the door behind us and turned to look at us. I found myself stealing peaks at her from the corner of my eye. She seemed so sad. I wanted to kiss her and make her feel better but I couldn't get the nerves up to even speak to her. I started looking through her CD's trying to get my courage up.

"So this is my room." Bella said softly.

"You have a lot of books." said Alice going to look at her bookshelf. "So Bella, what grade are you in?"

"I'm a senior."

"We are all seniors also. Edward and I are twins. Emmett is our cousin. I wonder if we will have any classes together?" said Alice. I turned from her CD's and started looking at her piano. I wonder if she plays?

"I guess we will see tomorrow." Bella said "Emmett, how long have you lived here?"

"I have been living with Carlisle and Esme since I was 3yrs old. They took me in when my parents died."

he explained. A tear slipped down her face.

"I'm sorry to bring them up." She said softly.

"It's fine. You didn't know. Besides Carlisle and Esme are my parents now."

"You are very lucky then." She smiled at him.

"Kids, we need to get going." hollered Esme up the stairs.

I followed them back down the stairs. I had to get out of there. I couldn't think straight. I could smell her sweet perfume. As Bella stepped off the last step she tripped. I didn't think twice as I threw my arms out and grabbed her around her waist. As soon as I touched her, I felt a bolt of electricity shoot through me. I looked down and looked into her eyes. Our lips were so close. I wanted to press my lips against hers.

"Thanks" She whispered softly. I could feel my breath quicken as I stared into her eyes.

"Your welcome, Bella." I whispered. I slowly dropped my arms from her waist. I felt the loss immediately. I wanted to hold her forever in my arms.

"Bella, would you like to ride to school with us tomorrow?" asked Alice. Bella looked over at Renee. She nodded her head yes.

"Thanks Alice. That would be nice." She said.

"Ok, be ready at 7:15. I will come over and get you. I can tell that we are going to be best friends, Bella." squealed Alice.

Carlisle came over and grabbed Bella's hand softy as he looked her in the eye. "It really is a pleasure to meet you, Bella. Take care of yourself."

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen."

"It's Carlisle. Let me know if you need anything." He said softly.

He then turned and walked right out the door. We all looked at Carlisle shocked for a moment before we waved goodbye. It's not that my father isn't a caring man but I have never seen him take to someone the way he was with Bella. We walked back home in silence. After we had dinner, where Alice did nothing but talk about Bella, I went up to my room. Since the moment I touched Bella, I had this song running through my mind. I sat down at my piano and let the music flow through me. I had been playing for a couple hours when I felt a set of eyes on me. I turned and looked out my window and saw Bella watching me. She was just watching me play. I gave her a big smile. She gave me a small wave before she closed her curtains. I missed her already. I climbed into bed. I couldn't get Bella out of my mind. As I fell into a restless sleep, I realized that I had fallen in love with her. I also knew that she would never want me.

I woke up early the morning. I didn't sleep very good all night. Bella floated in and out of my dreams. All I wanted to do is kiss her and love her forever but I knew I couldn't. I sighed as I went over and looked out my window. I saw Bella sitting on the porch with a notebook. She was drawing as she sobbed. I felt a tear run down my face as I watched her. She looked up and me. Her eyes grew wide as she threw her book down and ran inside the house. I just turned and went and got ready for school. I joined my family for breakfast but I wasn't very hungry. I couldn't stop thinking about the look on Bella's face as she cried. She seemed so lost, so scared.

"I want you all to make sure that Bella is ok at school today." said Carlisle. "It was very hard for her to move here."

"We will, Dad." said Alice. "Won't we, Edward?"

I looked up and noticed that they were all looking at me. I just smiled. "Of course, we will. We had better go."

We all stood up and went outside. Alice was fixing to go over to get Bella. But I stopped her.

"I'll get her." I whispered. I ran over to Bella's before she could say anything. I picked up her book and rang the door bells. A few moments later Bella opened the door. She looked at me and then looked at her book in my hands. "You dropped this when you ran in this morning."

"Did you look in it?" She asked.

"No, I didn't. I just didn't want anyone else to see whatever was making you so sad this morning."

"Thanks." She muttered as she slipped it into her bag. She stepped out and followed me next door to Emmett and Alice.

"You look great today, Bella. We should go shopping after school." said Alice.

"Sorry, I can't. I have an appointment that I can't miss." she said. She looked so sad.. "Maybe another time."

"Definitely." squealed Alice.

We climbed into the car and I started driving us to school. I kept looking back at Bella in my rear view mirror. She looked so lost and scared. Once we got to school, she just sighed and gave us a small wave before she headed into the school.

"Is it just me, or does Bella seem really sad all the time?" asked Alice as we walked down to our lockers.

"Yeah, she does. It must have been hard for her to leave in the middle of her senior year." said Emmett as we walked up to Rose and Jasper.

"Hard for who?" asked Rose.

"Our new neighbor Bella. She seems really sad." said Alice as Jasper pulled her to him. I hated being the only one with out someone.

"Well, we will just have to make sure that she feels welcome here." said Jasper. "I have to get to class. Love you, Ali."

"Love you, J." she whispered before she kissed him. "See you guys later."

"Later." we said.

I turned and started walking down to my first period class. I was just fixing to round the corner by the office when Bella came around and plowed right into me. She started to fall so I reached out and grabbed her arms.

"Aaaahhh." She cried softly as soon as I touched her.

"Bella, are you ok?" I asked gently.

"I'm fine." She said as she turned and walked down the hall way.

I stood there confused for a minute. I just shook my head and went down to class. My morning classes seemed to drag on for ever. Mike Newton kept going on and on about Bella. It seems like everyone was talking about her. I walked into every class hoping that she would be in one of them with me but she never was. By the time I walked into the cafeteria after gym, I was in a really bad mood. I missed Bella. I had just sat down at the table when Emmett, Rose and Bella came walking up. She seemed to be a little happier as she sat down and started nibbling on her apple.

"Bella, this is my boyfriend, Jasper Hale. Jasper, this is Bella Swan, our new neighbor." said Alice.

"Nice to meet you, Bella." said Jasper.

"You to, Jasper."

"Bella, how were you other classes?" asked Alice.

"Boring, I took AP classes in Phoenix." she said shrugging her shoulders.

"So what brings you to Forks?" I asked softly.

"Oh , um, Charlie and Renee, my parents, are opening a coffee shop downtown."

"Really? That's cool. But why choose Forks? I mean there had to be places closer to Phoenix that could have been just as good." asked Jasper.

"They owned several in Phoenix but we had to move up north so they decided to expand up here." She said sadly. A dark shadow came over her face. I thought I saw tears in her eyes.

"Why did you have to move north?" I asked. Just then her cell phone's alarm went off.

"Sorry, guys, I have to go. I'll see you all later." Bella said. She stood up and grabbed her water, apple and messenger bag. She walked over and tossed her barely eaten apple into the trash.

"Did we say something wrong?" asked Rose. "She seemed so sad about moving here."

"I don't know." whispered Alice. "But I get the feeling that she needs us."

"Then we will be here for her." I whispered as the bell rang.


	41. Chapter 41

We all just sighed and made our way to our afternoon classes. I was just sitting down at my table when Bella walked into the classroom. She looked over and saw me and gave me a soft smile. Mr. Banner director her to come sit by me. He started class before I could say anything so I pulled out a pieces of paper and passed her a note asking her if she was ok. She said she was fine. I told her we were sorry if we upset her but she said we didn't. We spent the rest of the hours passing notes back and forth getting to know each other. When the bell rang, I was fixing to ask Bella what class she had next when I saw Lauren and Jessica coming up to me. I groaned when I saw them. They have been stalking me for two years now. Bella must have seen the look on my face because she quickly asked me to walk her to her next class. I told them that I was walking Bella to class and wrapped my arm around her and pulled her out the room. We just laughed as we made our way to our music class, which luckily we had together.

"Peter Davis, this is Bella Swan." I said before turning and taking my seat at the piano.

"Hello, Bella. Its nice to have you in this class." said Peter as he signed her slip.

"Thank you, Mr. Davis." I said as the bell rang. Garrett and Kate were lost in their own little world.

"Please call me Peter. So Bella, do you play any instruments?" asked Peter.

"Yes, sir. I play the piano, guitar and the cello." Bella said softly. Garrett, Kate and I all gasped. I saw Bella's face get red from all our attention.

"Will you play something for us?" he asked eagerly.

"Sure, which instrument?"

"I guess we will have to use the piano. We don't have a guitar or cello here." he chuckled.

"Ok, I can bring mine in sometime."

"Sounds great." he said as he lead her to the piano that I had just stood up from.

Bella sat down at the piano and closed her eyes. We all stopped and listened to the sweetest music pouring from her fingers. I could fell so many emotions coming from it, fear, hurt, anger, sorrow, guilt. I could feel the tears fill up in my eyes as I saw her let her own tears pour down her face as she played the last note. None of us said anything for a moment. Bella looked up at me and I swear I saw pain filling her beautiful eyes.

"That was amazing, Bella. Who wrote that piece?" ask Peter softly.

"I did." she whispered softly. She was completely amazing

"You are very talented." he whispered.

We settled into our seats as he started his class. He was telling us about a completion being held in Seattle in two months at the end of May. He encouraged us all to sign up for the competition. The class passed quickly as the rest of the students worked in various pieces of music. I sat down at the piano and tried to play the song I wanted to play for Seattle but something was off with it. As soon as the bell rang, I jumped to my feet and gathered my things quickly. Peter asked Bella to wait a minute. I walked out of the classroom slowly. I stood against the wall and waited for Bella outside of the classroom. As soon as she stepped out of the classroom, I noticed that something was wrong. It looked like she had been crying.

"Bella, you ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine. He wants me to sign up of the Seattle competition." She said.

"That's great. I am signing up for it also."

"I can't do it." Bella said sadly.

"Why not?"

"I..I just can't right now." She whispered. "I have to go. Charlie and Renee are waiting for me."

She took off running down the hall. I just stood there shocked and confused at what had just happened. I went out to my car where everyone was waiting for me. They all were standing there watching Bella jump into her parents car and drive off.

"What is wrong with Bella?" asked Emmett.

"I don't know." I said softly. "She was ok until our music class then she got real sad when Peter was telling us about this competition in Seattle. She is an amazing musician. She plays the piano, guitar and cello. I guess he kept her after class to ask her to sign up but she says she can't. I just don't know."

"You really like her, don't you?" asked Rose.

"Yeah, she's seems really nice." I said.

"No, I mean you have feelings for her." she smirked. Everyone turned and looked at me.

"I don't even know her." I muttered as I got into my car.

Alice and Emmett just laughed as they climbed in. We drove home in silence. I could feel their eyes on me the entire way. I just ignored them. Once we got home, we went into the house. I grabbed an apple and made my way upstairs to my room. I sat down at my piano but I just couldn't focus on it. I kept seeing Bella's face in my mind. I threw myself on my bed. I really love her. I don't know how to get her to see me as someone worth her love. I laid on my bed for another hour before I heard Bella playing her cello. I went over and watched her. She was sobbing as she played. I could feel my tears pouring down my face as I watched her. Suddenly she looked over at me. She gave me a small smile and waved. I waved back. She looked down and saw Carlisle and Esme coming over. She sighed and looked up at me. She was sad again. She just waved again and turned and walked away.

I went downstairs and joined Alice and Emmett for pizza. We had just cleaned up our mess when Carlisle and Esme came back. They both looked like they had been crying. Alice, Emmett and I all looked at each other. The last time we saw them upset like this was when Esme found out she had breast cancer.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing." they both said as they walked up to their room. I looked back over at the others.

"What are they hiding from us?" I asked.

"I don't know. Do you think the cancer is back?" whispered Alice.

"I don't think so. I don't think they would have gone over to Bella's for dinner if the cancer was back." whispered Emmett.

"Yeah, maybe." I said softly.

I was smiling the next morning when I went to get Bella. As soon as she opened the door, my smile fell from my face. She looked like she hadn't slept all night. There were purple bags under her eyes. She seemed to be barely able to drag one foot in front of the other.

"Bella, did you have trouble sleeping last night?" I asked.

"No, I am just really tired."

"Maybe you should stay home today?"

"I can't" She said.

I was going to say that she should rest but Alice bounced over to us and dragged her into the back seat of the car. Emmett and I just chuckled at our sister's excitement. She spent the car ride to school telling them about Mike Newton. I thought it was quite funny that he was following her around. At least I did until she made a comment about the Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley. That shut me up pretty quickly. It was nice to see the happy Bella. We pulled up next to Rose's shiny red BMW convertible. As we stepped out of the Volvo, Rose and Jasper hoped out of the BMW.

"Nice car, Rose." Bella said.

"Thanks, Bella"

"Bella, you ok? You look really tired today." said Jasper.

"I'm fine." she said as we walked into the school.

All of our lockers were pretty close to each others so we walked there together. Bella opened her locker and took off her jacket. I gasped as did everyone else. Bella had black and blue bruises from where I grabbed her to keep her from falling yesterday. They looked horrible. Bella looked at us and saw that we were all staring at her arms. She tried to pull her sleeves down but I gently pulled her arm towards me as I examined her bruises.

"Bella, are these from when I grabbed your arms yesterday?" I asked softly.

"What the fuck, Edward? Why did you grab her?" bellowed Emmett at me.

"Emmett, calm down. I ran into him before first period yesterday. He grabbed my arms to keep me from falling. I bruise really easy. It's not a big deal." Bella explained.

"Bella, these look pretty bad." said Alice.

"I know, but they don't hurt." said Bella. Jasper reached out and barely pressed down and Bella let out a hiss of pain. "Shit Jasper."

"Thought you said they didn't hurt, Bella?" he demanded.

"Fine maybe they hurt a little, ok. Back the fuck off." she snapped harshly. "I'm going to class."

She turned and grabbed her messenger back, slammed her locker shut and walked down the hallway. We all stood there stunned at her outburst. She went from happy Bella to angry Bella very quickly.

"What the hell was that about?" grumbled Emmett.

"I don't know. Those bruises looked pretty really bad. Should we call dad?" asked Alice.

"No, I think we should mind our own business. It's not like she is getting abused at home. We just need to be careful not to give her anymore." I said. "See you at lunch."


	42. Chapter 42

The rest of the morning went by pretty slowly. I was really worried about Bella but I knew it wasn't any of my business. When she sat down by me at lunch, she seemed to be in a better mood. Angela and Ben were sitting with us today. Alice invited Rose, Angela and Bella over to the house for a sleep over. Rose and Angela quickly agreed but Bella almost looked scared. She said she would think about it. Her alarm went off again and she said a quick goodbye and ran out of the cafeteria. She had barely eaten two bites of her cheese sandwich. We just looked at each other and went to our afternoon classes. I was just walking into class behind Bella when she started to fall again. I reached out and grabbed her tiny waist and pulled her back up. I teased her about needing to stop meeting like this. Then I noticed that she was rubbing her hip. I asked her if she was ok. She just mumbled something about hitting her hip on a desk.

I just let it go and went and sat down. Lauren and Jessica came up to our desk. Lauren tried to get me to take her to the movies this weekend. When she grunted out that I would have more fun with her than with Ben, Jasper, and Emmett, Bella chuckled. Lauren asked her what was funny and Bella told her that her attempts at getting me were pretty damn funny. Jessica asked who asked Bella. Bella just chuckled as she turned and looked at me. She asked me if Lauren hadn't just asked her what was so funny. All I could do was nod my head. If I said anything I would burst out laughing. Bella just smirked and told Jessica that Lauren ask her. Jessica muttered whatever and stalked away while Lauren just stood there. Bella looked up at her and asked her if she was still there. Lauren just huffed and went to her seat. Just when I thought I was going to be able to control my laughter, Bella turned and looked at me and said that those two are keepers. I busted out laughing so hard I had tears falling down my face. We heard Garrett and Kate laughing with us. They introduced themselves to Bella and we all chuckled under our breath. Once class started, I watched Bella as she barely kept her eyes open. I think she nearly nodded off at least twenty times.

After biology , Bella and I went out and got her cello from my car so she could play. Peter's eyes got really big when he saw it. We all settle into our rooms and began to play. As soon as Bella began to play, we all stopped and made our way over to listen to her. Garrett whispered to Kate that Bella was amazing. Bella must have heard him because she suddenly jumped up and turned to look at us.

"Bella, that was amazing." said Garrett. "How long have you been playing?"

"I've been playing the cello since I was 8 yrs old. I started out playing the piano when I was 4yrs old. I have been playing the guitar for 2yrs." Bella explained.

"So which one are you playing for the Seattle contest?" asked Kate.

"None of them. I won't be able to compete." she whispered

"Oh, come on, Bella. You would defiantly win if you sign up. A full scholarship to any college of your choice. How can you not even try?" asked Garrett.

"I just can't. I don't even know if I will be going to college so it doesn't matter." Bella said softly.

"Bella, why wouldn't you go to college?" I asked.

"I just can't." She said. "I'm afraid-"

"So you are just going to waste you talent because you are afraid? You aren't even going to try?" snapped Garrett. "Some of us would love to have half your talent. Some of us would give anything to be able to compete."

"SOME OF US MAY NOT EVER GET THE CHANCE TO DO ANYTHING THEY WANT. I WANT NOTHING MORE THAN TO BE ABLE TO COMPETE AND GO TO COLLEGE AND BE NORMAL. BUT I CAN'T SO FUCK OFF,OK." Bella screamed.

Bella laid her cello down and ran out of the room. Garrett looked half way pissed off and half way concerned as he watcher her run out. He just went over and grabbed his bag and stormed out of the room. Kate sighed and went after him. I packed up her cello and took it out to my car. Alice and Emmett were going with Rose and Jasper, so I took off home. I went over Bella's but nobody was home. So I sat on her porch and waited for her to come home. I knew that something was going on with her. It was more than just moving to a new town. About an hour later, Bella and Renee came home. Bella looked surprised to see me sitting on the porch. She came over and sat next to me while Renee went inside.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" She asked softly.

"You left your cello at school. I thought you might want to play it tonight. You seem to really enjoy it." I explained.

"Thank you . That was very kind of you."

"Bella, I'm sorry if we upset you at school. You just have so much talent and passion for music. I hate to see you choose not to play. I…"

"You what?"

"I just really care about you a lot. I know I don't know you very well but please know I am always here for you, Bella." I whispered.

"Thank you, Edward. I care about you to." She whispered as a tear fell down her cheek. She seemed scared to let me in. "I had better go help Renee make dinner."

"Ok, Bella. I will see you later. Good night."

"Goodnight, Edward."

I went home that night and played my piano for the rest of the night. The song in my head was slowly coming together. I decided that night that I was going to be a part of Bella's life. Even if all I could ever be is a friend.

The next day, we decided to go down to Seattle. We called Garrett and invited him but he said he was sick. He seemed to be sick a lot lately. Emmett, Jasper, Ben and I drove to Seattle and spent a few hours messing around at the mall. By the time we got home, the girls were watching a movie in the living room. Bella was asleep on the couch. Alice whispered to me that she had gotten sick earlier but insisted that she was fine. I just nodded my head and went upstairs to my room. I was playing my piano a few hours later when I heard someone crying. I turned and found Bella standing in my door with tears running down her face. I went over and pulled her into my arms.

"I'm sorry to interrupt." She whispered through me tears.

"It's fine. Why are you crying?" I whispered.

"You play so beautifully." She said through her tears.

"So do you." I whispered.

Suddenly, she pushed out of my arms and ran to the bathroom. She leaned over the toilet and dry heaved for several minutes. I rubbed the back of her neck with a cold wash cloth.

"Leave me alone, Edward." she said as she tried to push me away.

"No, Bella, you are sick. I'm not leaving you alone." I said as I pulled her into my arms

For the next hour I held her and let her cry. I just started telling me about when I was little and I stated playing the piano. I used to drive Esme and Carlisle nuts when I would practice. That is why they moved it into my room. I continued to talk about books and movies as I held her. Eventually she cried herself to sleep. I lifted her in my arms and carried her into my room and laid her under the covers. I pressed a softy kiss on her forehead and promised to love her forever.

I went downstairs and slept for a couple hours on the couch in Carlisle's office until I heard Alice and the girls in the kitchen. I walked in and was disappointed to see that Bella wasn't in there. I sat down after I grabbed a plate of food from Esme. Bella came in a few minutes later. One look at the plates of food and she ran to the bathroom again. I jumped up and ran in after her. I helped her clean up and took her back into the living room. I held her on my lap while she let her tears fall.

"Bella, what's wrong?" I whispered.

"Everything is wrong." she said softly.

"You can trust me, you know." I said softly.

"I know. I'm just not ready yet." Bella said as she let the tears fall from her face.

After a few minute's Alice came in and dragged her upstairs to her room to join the others. Carlisle and Esme came in and sat next to me on the couch. For a few minutes we just sat there in silence.

"You love her, don't you?" whispered Esme. I looked up at her surprised.

"Yes, I do." I whispered.

"Edward, she needs you right now. She needs to be strong for her." whispered Esme.

"Why? What's going on with her?" I asked.

"It's not my story to tell. Just trust me. She needs you." she said softly. Suddenly we heard Bella screaming at the girls upstairs.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT I WANT. I AM TO DAMAGED FOR ANYONE TO LOVE. DON'T YOU GET IT." Bella screamed as she ran downstairs. "I'm going home."

"Ok, dear. Edward, walk her home." said Esme.

"Ok." I said softly. I walked Bella back over to her house. As we stepped onto her porch, I gently stroked her cheek. "Bella, are you sure you are ok?" I whispered softly.

"No." She whispered back. "But I hope it will be."

"Can I do anything for you?"

"Just promise to be my friend. I need you more than you will ever know." she whispered as her tears fell freely.

"I'll be anything you want me to be, Bella. Forever and ever." I whispered.

I then bent down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. I turned and ran back to my house. I went inside and walked straight to my room. I fell onto my bed and cried. She only wanted me as a friend. I would be her friend even though it broke my heart that she didn't want to be mine.


	43. Chapter 43

The next week went by quickly. Garrett and Kate joined us for lunch on Monday. When Bella's alarm went off, so did Garrett's. They just chuckled and walked out together. I noticed that they tended to whispered to each other a lot. Kate didn't seem bothered by it. In fact she almost seemed a little relieved that Bella and Garrett had found each other. It was very confusing. Tuesday, I heard that Bella spent a lot of her day running from her classrooms to the bathroom. She did this several times. She and Garrett didn't show up for lunch. Kate told us that they were in the library but she seemed a little worried about them. When they came into biology, they reassured her that they were ok. The rest of the week passed much of the same way. Bella and I spent a few hours sitting on her porch talking about books, movies, music. We had very similar tastes.

The others noticed that Bella was sick a lot. She was losing weight. She seemed tired all the time. Sometimes I noticed her limping when she walked. She always insisted that she was fine. Then she would share a look with Garrett that just added fuel to the fire. We knew she was hiding something but we had no idea what it could be. By the time the weekend came, Bella was so exhausted and sick that she spent the entire weekend in bed. I spent Sunday with her. We watched movies all day. It broke my heart that she wouldn't let me in but I knew I had to be patient.

By Monday I was really worried about her. She seemed to be losing her strength fast. When we walked out of the house Monday morning to leave for school, we found her sitting on the steps with Carlisle and Esme. All three of them were crying, Esme was whispering something to her. Bella suddenly stood up and walked over to the car. She looked back at me and I swear in saw love flash in her eyes.

"Maybe you are right." She said as a tear fell down her face.. "But how can I know for sure?"

Then she opened the car and got into the back seat. We looked between them for a moment and then followed her into the car. We rode to school in silence We kept looking at her. Bella just sat in the back seat and sobbed to herself.

"Bella, what's wrong?" whispered Alice.

"Nothing." She lied as the tears poured from her face.

"Something is wrong, Bella." snapped Emmett.

"What if there is? What are you going to fucking do about it?" she snapped back.

"Bella, we want to help you but you have to tell us what is wrong." I said.

"ARE YOU GOING TO FIX ME, EDWARD? ARE YOU GOING TO SAVE ME? YOU CAN'T HELP ME. DON'T YOU FUCKING GET IT, I'M ALL ALONE." She screamed with tears pouring out of her eyes as we pulled into the parking lot.

Bella jumped out of the car and ran past Rose and Jasper, who tried to stop her. We all just looked at each other as we ran after her. We found her on her knees in front of her locker. She was sobbing as she pulled her knees to her chest. Everyone was standing around watching her. I was fixing to pull her into my arms when Garrett came running over and lifted her off the ground. She only sobbed harder when she felt his arms around her. Garrett took a step down the hall. I went to go with them but he just shook his head at me. I just turned and walked away. I will admit I was hurt that Bella wouldn't trust me right now. I was pissed as hell that Garrett knew everything. Through the rest of the morning, everyone was talking about Bella and Garrett. Most of them seemed to think that she and Garrett were having an affair. I knew they weren't. Anyone who looks at Garrett can see how much he loves Kate. By the time fourth period came around, I was tired of hearing it all. I was standing in the hall when I noticed Garrett and Bella walking in my direction. She seemed happier but I could tell that she had spent the last few hours crying. Garrett had his arm around her. She looked up and saw me. I tried to smile at her but I couldn't. She just looked at me for a moment before she came running over to me. She threw her arms around me. I let a tear fall when I wrapped my arms around her. She promised to tell me everything at lunch. Then before I could say anything she took off with Garrett.

I spent all of fourth period trying to figure out what was going to on with Bella. Nothing made sense. By the time the bell rang, I had a million different theories. I practically ran down to the cafeteria. The others were already there. A few moments later, the entire cafeteria go deathly quiet. I looked over and felt my mouth fall open. Bella, Garrett and Kate came walking over to our table. Bella's beautiful hair was gone. She had shaved it off. We all just sat there for a moment staring at her.

"Bella, why the fuck did you shave your head?" demanded Emmett.

"Because my hair was failing out." she said softly.

"Why was your hair falling out?" asked Alice. She opened her mouth to say something but just started crying.

"Bella, you can tell us anything." said Rose softly. Garrett and Kate reached over and grabbed her hands.

"I'm dying." she barely whispered. How can my Bella be dying?

"What do you mean your dying?" I whispered.

"A little over three months ago I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. I had been feeling like shit for a few weeks. I was really tired even though I was sleeping like 16hrs a day. Then I woke up one morning running a really high fever. After spending a few days trying to get the fever to break my parents took me to the hospital. They admitted me and ran a few test. I was diagnosed with leukemia. I spent two months in radiation therapy but it didn't help. I have only gotten worse. So my doctor in Phoenix said we should contact Carlisle. He told us that he is the best oncologist in the country. So Charlie and Renee called him. He had them fax over all of my medical records. He said that he thought he could help me but that meant we had to move. So we up and moved here so Carlisle can treat me. We had no idea that we were moving in next to you when we moved here. I am so scared. I don't want to die. I love you so much. I don't want to lose you." she whispered through her tears.

I heard everyone at the table gasp but I couldn't look at them. My eyes were fixed on Bella's while she told us everything. I felt the tears pour down my face as she got up and ran from the room. I jumped to my feet and ran after her. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to the ground with me. She fell into my arms and let her tears go.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was afraid." she whispered.

"What were you afraid of?"

"I was afraid I would lose you. I…"

"You what?" I whispered.

"I'm in love with you, Edward. I know you don't feel the same-" I just pressed my lips to hers. She loved me. She is in love with me.

"I'm in love with you to, Bella. I have been since the day I met you. Please let me help you." I whispered softly.

Bella nodded her head softly. I stood up with her in my arms and carried her back into the cafeteria. I carried her back to the table and sat her in my lap. I looked around and noticed that everyone had tears pouring down their faces.

"You ok, Bella?" said Garrett.

"Yes, I am great now. Do they know about you?"

"Yeah, I told them." he said softly. Kate reached over an kissed him softly.

"What about you, Garrett?" asked Edward.

"I have leukemia too. Bella and I have our chemo treatments together. Kate has been trying to help us through them. I'm sorry I never told you but it was hard." he whispered.

"I know, man. Let me know if we can do anything." said Edward

"Why didn't either of you tell us?" cried Alice. Jasper had her wrapped in his arms rubbing her back.

"At first, I didn't want your pity. The few friends I had in Phoenix that knew about the leukemia tiptoed around me all the time. But once I got to know you all, to love you all, I was afraid you would be mad at me for not telling you sooner. Then I woke up this morning, I was washing my hair and I pulled out two handful of my hair. I broke down. I sent a text to Garrett and he convinced me that I needed to tell you all."

"I didn't want your pity either. I was easy for me to pretend everything was ok, when I could be normal. I could hide better than Bella could." whispered Garrett as a tear slipped from his eye.

"Garrett, Bella, we are here for you. You two aren't alone in this." said Jasper.

"You can't do this alone. We need to be there for you both." said Angela.

"That's what family does." whispered Emmett.

"We need you too, big brother." Bella whispered as she went around and pulled him into her arms. He let go and sobbed in to her.

Just then their alarm went off reminding. She motioned for Rose to take her place. She gave me a gentle smile. Garrett and Bella turned to face the others.

"We have to go take our medicine." she explained.

She turned to walk away but I wrapped my arm around her waist. I was never going to let her go. I have spent the last few weeks holding my Bella in my arms as much as I could. I watched her as she and Garrett had to tell everyone about being sick. I watched her as she slept in the hospital the first time she passed out. I prayed that God would take the cancer away. I saw her try to be happy for Garrett when he went into remission. It was hard for both of us. I knew she was still scared that she was going to die. Honestly so was I, but I had to be strong for my Bella. She put on a brave face the night we went out to celebrate with Kate and Garrett. I saw how hard it was for her to see him healthy. But he promised not to leave her. When it came time for her next chemo treatment, he and Kate were there for us.

I watched as she struggled with the fear that I was going to leave her. It was ridiculous. I will never leave Bella. She is my life now. I can't live with out her. I watched her as the community honored both her and Garrett for staying strong. I saw our classmates put our differences behind us and come together to support our classmates who needed us. When I saw her come down those stairs on prom night, I thought I was seeing an angel. She was simply stunning. We danced for hours. One by one, my brothers, danced with her. I sat their watching my love and my brothers together. After she was named prom queen and danced with Garrett, she came over to me and told me that she was ready to make love with me. I saw the look in her eyes that told me that it was right.


	44. Chapter 44

When we got to the hotel, we made love slowly. We didn't need to rush. For that one moment, we just Edward and Bella. She was just a normal healthy girl. Not a girl with cancer. Waking up with her in my arms was the best feeling ever. I knew that I was going to marry her as soon as she was ready. But when we got home, our world was shattered. Garrett and Kate were dead.

Bella was lost again. He gave her the strength to keep fighting. He encouraged her to let me in. Now he was gone. We were alone. Bella was ready to quit. She was ready to give up. Our parent's didn't understand that at that moment the eight of us needed to be together and grieve for our brother and our sister. We left our homes and ran away together. We cried together for hours. When we got to school the next day, it was obvious that Garrett and Kate had touched the lives of not only the students but the teachers at our school. We were all lost. Bella got angry and pointed out that we had dropped the ball with Garrett. We hadn't seen how much he needed us until it was to late.

Slowly over the last few days, we began to heal from our pain. When Bella asked me to make love to her again, I couldn't refuse her. We needed to become one, once more. We did. Slowly we made love with each other. When we finally came together, I knew I was never going to let her go. When Bella looked over at me and asked me to marry her, I was surprised but I could see that it was the right thing for us. We will spend the rest of our lives together.

I had been sitting here in her room from the last nine days, watching my love sleep. After three days, the fever finally broke. Her lungs started clearing. Carlisle continued to give her the chemo treatments. Carlisle and Esme tried to talk me into going home but I couldn't leave my Bella. I needed to be with her. The others came by everyday to check on her. We all felt guilty that we hadn't taken to Carlisle when we noticed the fever but they told us that it wasn't our fault. I think our parents were more upset with Bella for being so stubborn. I kissed my Bella softly and climbed into the chair in the corner and let the sleep take me.

_I looked around and saw that I was sitting in a large meadow. There were colorful wildflowers everywhere. I felt someone come over and sit next to me. I turned and saw Kate sitting there._

"_Kate?" I whispered._

"_Hey, Edward." she chuckled. "You look like shit."_

"_Gee, thanks." I chuckled. "You look great."_

"_Awe, thanks, Edward." she chuckled._

"_Why are you here?" I whispered._

"_I came to tell you that she is going to be ok." said Kate. "You both have to keep fighting for just a little bit longer."_

"_Really? She's going to beat the leukemia?" I whispered._

"_Yes, she is." whispered Kate. "I hear that you two are getting married."_

"_Yes, I'm so in love with her." I chuckled. "She's my life."_

"_Good, take care of her. She is something special, Edward."_

"_I know. You and Garrett are ok?" I asked._

"_Never better." She chuckled. "Seriously, we are at peace. We will love each other for eternity. Just like you and Bella."_

"_I'm glad. It's been hard without you both."_

"_We know but we are proud that you didn't let her give up." said Kate. "Edward, you have to make sure she gets to Seattle. Promise me that you will get her there."_

"_I promise."_

"_Edward." I heard Bella whispered from behind the trees._

"_You had better wake up." chuckled Kate. "Love you, brother."_

"_Love you to, sister." I chuckled._

"_Edward" whispered Bella. I stood up and walked back to my love._

BPOV

_I looked around and saw that I was sitting in a large meadow. There were wild flowers blooming all around me. I twirled around to look at them all. I felt my hair whip around. I reached up and felt my hair run through my fingers. I wasn't sure what I was doing here. I heard someone break a stick behind me. I snapped around and fell to my knees._

"_Garrett?" I whispered as he kneeled next to and pulled me into his arms. _

"_Yeah, it's me, sister." he said gently. _

"_How are you here? Am I dead?" I whispered._

"_You are not dead. You are very sick but you are going to make it. I am here because you needed me." he said softly. "I promised to be with you."_

"_I miss you so much."_

"_I miss you to but I have Kate. She and I are happy. She was especially happy to see you taking care of Tanya." he chuckled._

"_She knows about that." I whispered._

"_Of course she does. Bella, we are watching over you all."_

"_I wish you hadn't died. I need you. I can't do it alone." I whispered._

"_Bella, you are not alone. You have Edward, Emmett, Rose, Alice, Jasper, Ben and Angela. Plus all of our parents. You can let them in." _

"_I know but I don't want them to suffer because of me. It's hard enough to see Edward, Charlie and Renee going through this with me. I feel guilty asking the others to help me."_

"_They are going through it whether you ask for help or not. You can't stop that." said Garrett. "You have to promise me something."_

"_What?"_

"_No matter what they say, you have to compete in Seattle."_

"_I promise."_

"_That's my stubborn pain in my ass." he chuckled._

"_Coming from the fucking baby with a hero complex, I take that as a compliment." I said. "Did you suffer?" _

"_No, we went fast. We were in each others arms." _

"_I don't want Edward to suffer when I die."_

"_Bella, you aren't going to die. You are going to beat the leukemia." said Garrett._

"_How do you know?" I asked softly._

"_That's why I am here, honey." he said softly. "You just have to keep fighting for a little while longer."_

"_I don't know if I can."_

_You can." he whispered. "So you and Edward are getting married soon, huh."_

"_Yes, I can't live without him any longer."_

"_Good for you. You finally see how connected the two of you are. You and Edward are going to get married. You are going to go to college and have beautiful babies."_

"_Babies?" I asked._

"_Yep. They are going to be beautiful."_

"_How many?"_

"_I'm not telling."_

"_Garrett?"_

"_Yes."_

"_I love you, brother." I whispered softly._

"_I love you to, sister. Take care of yourself and Edward." whispered Garrett. "It's time for me to go."_

"_No, please, don't leave me." I begged._

"_I am with you always, silly girl." chuckled Garrett. "Besides it's time for you to wake up."_

"_Will I ever see you again?" I asked._

"_I don't know. Maybe. Just be happy, Bella." said Garrett as he stood up. He kissed my forehead before he turned and walked away into a bright light. I reached out for him but everything around me faded into darkness. _


	45. Chapter 45

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. I was in a hospital room. The room was dark so I guess it was sometime in the middle of the night. I looked over and saw Edward curled up in a chair in the corner of my room. He looked so peaceful.

"Edward." I whispered. I grimaced at the pain in my throat. "Edward."

He moved slightly and looked around the room. He glanced in my direction before he closed his eyes again. His eyes shot open and he jumped to his feet and ran over to me.

"Bella?" he whispered as the tears fell down his face. "Are you really awake?"

"Yes." I whispered softly as I reached up and stroked his cheek with my hand. "Are you ok?"

"Silly girl, I'm fine. You had us scared to death." he cried.

"I'm sorry. I should have told Carlisle that I wasn't feeling good." I said softly. "Where is everyone?"

"Carlisle, Esme, Charlie and Renee are out in the waiting room sleeping. Everyone else had to go home." he whispered. "I had better go get them."

"Wait" I whispered. "I need to tell you something."

"What?"

"I love you." I whispered softly.

"I love you, Bella." he whispered as he bent down and kissed me gently. "I'll be right back"

Edward quickly walked out of the room and I pulled myself up into a sitting position. I only had to wait a few minutes before the door to my room busted open. Charlie and Renee were the first ones to run in followed very closely by Carlisle and Esme. Edward followed them all on chuckling slightly.

"Bella, baby, are you ok?" cried Renee as she threw her arms around me. Charlie threw his arms around us both and let his tears fall.

"I'm fine. Really, it's ok. My throat hurts a little but other than that I feel good." I whispered.

"I'll go get you some water, Bella." said Carlisle. He turned and ran out of the room.

"Mom, Dad, are you ok?" I whispered.

"We've been better. You scared the shit out of us." whispered Charlie.

"I'm sorry." I whispered softly as Carlisle came back in with a cup of water, I took a small sip from the straw. "Thank you. What happened?"

"You passed out on stage at the concert. You were running a fever of 104. We rushed you to the hospital. You had pneumonia." said Carlisle.

"How long was I out?" I whispered.

"You have been in a coma for nine days." whispered Carlisle with a tight throat.

"What!?" I screeched then winced as the pain in my throat shot through my body.

"Calm down, Bella." said Carlisle.

"I was asleep for nine days?" I asked softly.

"Yes, your body needed the time to help you recover from the infection." said Carlisle.

"Is it gone?" I asked.

"Yes."

"What about my chemo treatments? Have you still been giving them to me?" I asked.

"Yes, we have."

"When can I go home?" I whispered as I took another sip of water.

"We want to keep you in here for one more night. You can go home Wednesday morning." said Carlisle.

"When can I go back to school?" I noticed that Carlisle and my parents exchanged a look. "What?"

"Bella, we don't think you should go back to school until after the summer. There are only a few more weeks left as it is." said Renee.

"No, I have to go to school. If I don't go to school, I can't compete in Seattle this weekend." I said.

"Bella, we don't think you should compete. Your body can't handle another infection." said Charlie.

"I have to compete. I promised Garrett and Kate that I would. Besides I am going to be fine."

"Bella, you barely survived this. You can't know that you wont get sick again." said Esme.

"Yes I do." I demanded.

"How? How can you know?" snapped Carlisle. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Don't look at me like that, Bella. You should have told us you were running a fever before the concert started."

"I know. I'm sorry. But I know that I am going to be fine now." I said.

"HOW CAN YOU KNOW?" He yelled rudely.

"BECAUSE GARRETT TOLD ME." I yelled back.

"What?" they all asked at the same time.

"Garrett came to see me while I was sleeping. He told me that he was sent to tell me that I was going to make it. He told me he and Kate were together. They are happy. He made me promise to compete." I explained.

"Bella-" started Carlisle.

"No, Carlisle. She has to compete." whispered Esme. She was looking at me with a gentle smile.

"You can't be serious?" exclaimed Carlisle.

"Carlisle Cullen, I have never been more serious. She promised that boy she would compete and she will." snapped Esme.

"But-" started Charlie.

"No, she's right, Charlie. We have to let her." said Renee.

"How can you stand there and let our little girl put herself in danger?" bellowed Charlie.

"Dad, how can you have so little faith in me?" I whispered as a tear fell from my eye. "After everything I have been through, how can you doubt that I am telling the truth?"

"Baby, it's not that I don't believe you. I just don't want to lose you." whispered Charlie as a tear fell from his own eye.

"Daddy, you aren't going to lose me. I promise." I whispered as I pulled him down into my arms.

"Ok, baby, I believe you." he whispered.

"Carlisle?" I asked softly.

"Bella, I can't lose you to. I…" whispered Carlisle.

"Carlisle, you are stuck with me forever. I'm not going anywhere. Edward and I are always going to be here." I whispered.

"Ok, Bella. You can go back to school on Wednesday but I want you to take it easy." whispered Carlisle.

"Thank you, Carlisle. I love you too."

"Bella, you are such a stubborn pain in the ass." whispered Carlisle through his tears.

"I know." I said.

"We are going to go and let you get some rest. I will be back later today to check on you." whispered Carlisle.

"We love you, Bella." said Esme as she gave me a kiss on the check. "Get some rest."

"I will. I love you to, Esme."

"Baby, we are going to go home and sleep for a little bit. We will be back later." said Renee.

"Ok mom, I love you. You both get some rest." I said as they pulled me into their arms.

Carlisle wrapped his arm around Esme and lead her out. Charlie and Renee followed them out. I looked over at Edward, who had been oddly quiet through the entire conversation. I patted the bed next to me and he chuckled as he climbed in and wrapped his arm around me.

"You ok, Edward?" I whispered into his chest.

"Yes, I am." He whispered. "So Garrett came to see you?"

"Yes"

"Kate came to see me." he whispered.

"What did she say?" I asked.

"She told me you were going to fine. She told me we had to keep fighting for a little while longer. She told me she was happy we are getting married." he whispered. "What did Garrett tell you?"

"He said the same thing. He said they died in each other's arms. He said they were happy. He said we were going to get married. We were going to go to college and have babies."

"Bella, I love you. I can't wait for you to be my wife." he whispered.

"Soon, my love. Soon." I whispered as we both fell back to sleep.


	46. Chapter 46

I slept much of the next day. The nurses came in and tried to tell me that Edward had to get out of my bed but I just told them it wasn't going to happen. They argued with me and I told them to call Carlisle. I guess he told them it was ok because when they came back in, they didn't say anything else about it. A little after noon, Carlisle came by to check on me. Edward and I were both awake by this time. He said I was doing amazing compared to how I was just a few days ago. I begged him to let me go home today but he told me I was going to have to wait just one more night. After he left, I worked on my school work for the past week and a half. I was about half way through my government work when the door to my room opened and Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Ben, and Angela came running in. They all saw me sitting up and started crying.

"Guys, I'm fine." I said softly.

"We know you are, sister, but you scared the shit out of us." cried Emmett.

"I'm sorry." I said softly.

"It's not your fault, Bells." said Alice as she climbed into the bed next to me. "We are glad you are awake."

"Me to. I missed you guys." I said softly. " Are you all ok?"

"We are fine." said Jasper. "You don't need to worry about us. When are you getting out of here?"

"Tomorrow morning, just in time to go to school." I whispered.

"They are letting you go to school?" asked Rose. "I figured they weren't going to let you come back."

"They tried not to but I told them I had to go." I said.

"Why?" asked Ben.

"I promised Garrett I would compete this weekend in Seattle. He came to me while I was sleeping." I whispered.

"Me to." said Emmett, Jasper and Ben.

"What did he say to you?" I asked.

"He told me that I was now your big brother. He said I had to take care of you and make sure you get to Seattle." said Emmett.

"That's what he said to me to." said Ben.

"Me to. He also told me to tell you something, Bella." said Jasper.

"What?" I asked

"He said to tell you that you were having two." he whispered. I couldn't help the chuckle that left my lips. I knew exactly what he was talking about. Edward and I would have two kids.

"Did he say anything else?" I asked eagerly.

"He said you had to wait to find out the rest. He also told me to tell you that you are a stubborn pain in the ass." chuckled Jasper.

I couldn't stop the hysterical laughter that exploded from my chest. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy. After a few moments, I was able to stop laughing. "Thanks, Jasper."

"Bella, you want to share any of that with me?" chuckled Edward.

"Garrett said we are going to have two babies." I whispered.

"Bella, are you pregnant?" asked Alice.

"No, Ali. When Garrett came to see me he told me that I would beat the leukemia. He said Edward and I would get married, go to college and have babies. When I asked how many babies, he refused to tell me. He told Jasper to tell me." I explained.

"That sounds like Garrett. Kate came to see me." she whispered.

"Me to." said Angela and Rose.

"She came to see me to." said Edward. "What did she tell you?"

"She said we had to take care of each other. She said we would always be together." said Alice.

"That's what she told me." whispered Angela.

"Me to." said Rose.

"Forever." I whispered softly just as the door to my room opened and Peter and Charlotte came walking in.

"Bella, it is so good to see you awake." he said softly. "You sure scared us, kid."

"I know. I'm sorry." I whispered. "I didn't mean to."

"We know. How are you feeling?" asked Peter.

"I am feeling much better. I'm pretty tired but what else is new." I whispered.

"Good. So I hear you will be back to school tomorrow."

"Yes."

"Good. I have your cello waiting for you." said Peter.

"What?"

"Well, you will need to practice the next few days for Seattle. So I brought your cello to my classroom."

"How did you know I was still going to compete?" I said with a smile.

"Because you are a stubborn pain in the ass who refuses to give up." smirked Peter.

"I love you to, Peter." I smirked back.

"I love you, kid. We are going to go so you can get some rest. I will see you tomorrow at school." said Peter kissing the top of my head.

"Thank you for pushing me to compete, Peter." I whispered.

"Thank you for not quitting." he whispered back.

After Peter and Charlotte left, the rest of us chatted for awhile until Carlisle came and ran them all out. He made Edward go home to shower and change his cloths. He said he could come back later but that he was in desperate need of a shower. I reluctantly let him leave since he promised to be back soon. Carlisle stayed with me for awhile. We just chatted about everything that had happened. Charlie and Renee came back for awhile but they were still exhausted so I made them go home and sleep. I promised to call them when I left the hospital in the morning. I also sent Carlisle home. I told him he needed to go take Esme out to dinner. He chuckled and told me I meddle to much. But he knew I was right. After he left, I started working on my homework again. I was just starting my trig homework when the door to my room opened again. This time James and Victoria came in.

"I'm fine. Great actually." I said softly. "I'm sorry if I ruined your concert."

"Bella, you did no such thing. You should have told us you weren't feeling well." said James softly.

"I know and I'm sorry. I just felt this was a chance for me to give back."

"Bella, you have already given us so much." said Victoria.

"No, I haven't. Garrett gave me so much. I needed to do this for him."

"Bella, you really don't see what you have done to this town. Before you and your parents came, we all just minded our own business. Sure a few families would do things together but as a community, we would have never have been able to raise that much money for cancer research. You and Garrett helped the kids at school see just how much you needed each other. You helped them find bonds that were lost. I have seen neighbors willing to help each other. Friend reconnecting after years of being apart. James and I were so busy between work and Garrett, that we didn't let many people in. Garrett kept telling us that we needed friends but we told him that we needed to focus on him. Then we met you and your parents in Eleazar's office. Bella, you gave us hope." said Victoria.

"Bella, we know its hard for you to rely on anyone but you can let us all help you. We know that you are going to beat this." said James.

"Thank you. I hope that if anything good comes out of the last few months, that people will at least see how much they need each other."

"I hope so to, dear. We are going to go and let you rest." said Victoria. "We love you, Bella."

"I love you to."

James and Victoria gave me a big hug and left. I sat there for awhile and thought about what they had said. They were right. Garrett and I telling everyone about the leukemia helped bring the kids at school together. Before we told everyone, Lauren and Jessica were hateful bitches. They were much nicer to everyone. Lauren and Tyler realized their love for each other. I heard that Jessica and Mike had gone to the concert together. I know that Charlie and Renee found the friends they needed here. Carlisle, Esme, James, Victoria, William, Catherine, John, Elisabeth, Robert, Ann, they all bonded together. They were a family too. I must have been pretty lost in my thoughts because the next thing I knew I was being lifted from my bed. I looked up and found Edward holding me.

"Bella, will you go for a walk with me?" He asked softly.

"Yes, of course, I will."

Edward placed me on my feet and grabbed my IV pole for me. He wrapped his arm around my waist and lead me out into the hall. He lead me to the elevator and when the door opened he lead me inside. He pushed the button for the top floor. We rode in the elevator in silence. The door opened and Edward lead me to the stairs. I just looked at him as he opened the door for me. I walked in and Edward picked up my IV pole as he lead me up the flight of stairs. He pushed open the door to the roof and lead me out. I stepped out and let out a gasp. Edward had 100's of blush roses set up all around the roof. There were also 100's of candles. Sitting in the middle of the roof was a small table. Edward lead me over to the table and pulled out my chair for me.

"How?" I asked as he wrapped a blanket around my shoulders.

"I wanted to do something special for you." he whispered.

"Ok" I said softly.

Edward brought my mushroom ravioli from La Bella. I gave him a big smile as took a small bite. As we ate we talked about our plans for the future. We had both applied and gotten accepted to Dartmouth so we decide to go together. It would be hard to leave our parents but we knew we needed to branch out on our own a little bit. Edward said he was thinking about majoring in medicine. I told him I was thinking about the same. After being sick, it felt right to me. Even though I loved music, I knew that I wanted to become a doctor. As soon as we had finished our dinner, Edward pulled me to my feet and we danced. We didn't have any music but we followed the beating of our hearts.

"Bella, you have made me the happiest man alive." he whispered.

"When I first saw you sitting on my couch, I felt my breath stop as soon as I looked into your eyes. It felt like I could see my soul. I love you, Edward." I whispered as I pressed my lips to his. Edward pulled back and dropped to one knee.

"Isabella Marie Swan, will you dome the honor of becoming my wife?" he whispered as a tear fell from his eye. In his hand he held a small black velvet box.

"YES!"I squealed. Edward opened the box to show me a beautiful princess cut solitaire ring. It was simple but the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. He pulled out the ring and slipped in onto my left hand. "It's beautiful."

"It doesn't come close to you , love." he whispered as he kissed me hard. "I had better get you back downstairs before the nurses call Carlisle."

We made our way back down to my room. Edward helped me back into my bed. I pulled him in with me and he wrapped his arms around me. For the rest of my life I knew, I would always have Edward. He was mine. We fell into a deep restful sleep wrapped in each other's arms.


	47. Chapter 47

Carlisle woke us the next morning when he came in discharge me. He brought cloths for me and Edward to change into. He left while we got ready. Edward pulled on a pair of jeans and a grey t-shirt. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve black t-shirt. Edward helped me tie on a black scarf onto my head. Carlisle came back in with a wheelchair. I didn't gripe about having to ride in it today. I knew I was lucky just getting to go back to school. I called Charlie and Renee and old them we were leaving. They said they would be down at the coffee shop if I needed anything. Edward pushed me down to the elevator and waited with me while Carlisle brought the car around. Edward pushed me out to the car and helped me get in the front seat. Carlisle told Edward to put the wheelchair in the trunk. He was insisting that I use it for the next few days to regain my strength. I was going to argue with him but I saw the look in his eye. He needed me to do this for him so I agreed. He drove us to school and parked in the front. He helped Edward get the chair out and helped me get it.

"Take it easy today, Bella." He whispered as he hugged me.

"I will, I promise." I whispered to him. He got back into his car drove off. Edward started pushing me up to the door. I noticed that everyone was staring at us. "Great, they are staring again."

"They are just worried about you, love." whispered Edward.

"I know." I grumbled.

Edward pushed me down to my locker. Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Ben, and Angela were all waiting for me.

"Nice wheels, Bella." snickered Emmett.

"Thanks, Em. I like to travel in style." I smirked.

"Bella, we had better get to class." said Alice.

"Ok, Ali. I'll see you at lunch, Edward. I love you." I said as I pulled him down to kiss me.

"I love you to. I'll miss you, fiancé." he whispered just loud enough for me to hear.

"That's enough lovebirds." chuckled Angela as she, Alice and Rose pushed my chair towards English.

"Some friends you are. I can't even have a moment with my fiancé." I grumbled just as they reached the door to English. They yanked my chair to a stop as they all ran in front of me.

"What!?" they screeched loudly. I just lifted my left hand to show them the ring Edward gave me last night. Just then the bell rang.

"You are telling us everything at lunch, Bella. Don't you dare tell them anything until then." threatened Rose as she hurried down to her classroom. I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped my lips when Alice and Angela pushed me into the classroom.

"Nice of you girls to join us." chuckled Mr. Owens.

"Anytime." I chuckled back.

"Bella, its good to see you feeling better." he whispered softly.

"Thanks."

He helped them push me over to the far side of the classroom. He pushed chair up so I was sharing Angela's desk. Mr. Owens started the lesson and turned his attention to the rest of the class. Angela and Alice spent the next hour passing me notes trying to get me to tell them about our engagement. I just kept chuckling to myself and asking them what they were talking about. They scowled at me when the bell rang.

"Some friend you are, Bella." huffed Alice.

"That hurts, Ali. We both know Rose would kick our asses if I told you guys anything without her being there."

"Your right. You two had better hurry down from lunch." she ordered before she took off to her next class.

Angela and I chuckled as she pushed me to government. The next two classes went pretty quickly. Both my teachers helped me get situated into the front of the classroom. Angela pointed out my ring to Ben. His eyes bugged out when he saw it. He tried to get the story out of me, but I told him about Rose. He understood and let it go. As soon as the bell rang at the end of trig, Ben pushed me out to the hall where Emmett was waiting for us. Ben leaned over and whispered something into Emmett's ear.

"WHAT!?" bellowed Emmett as he yanked my left arm up.

"AAAHHH." I cried out as pain shot through me. Emmett immediately dropped my arm.

"Bella, I'm so sorry. I was just shocked about you and Edward." He whispered as he kneel in front of me.

"I'm ok, brother. We need to get to class." I whispered. Emmett stood up and started pushing me class.

"How could you not tell us?" demanded Emmett.

"Em, I haven't exactly had the chance to yet." I explained. "I promised Rose I would wait till lunch and tell you all. Don't make me tell you. She will hurt us both."

"Your right, sister. She would hurt me at least. I am pretty sure she loves you more than me." he chuckled as he pushed me into class.

"Not true, brother." I laughed.

"Bella, it's great to finally have to back to school. How are you feeling?" asked Senora Goff as she walked into the classroom.

"I feel much better today."

"That's good. We are having a test today but you can take it next week." she explained.

"I am ready to take it now." I said as I handed her all of my completed work.

"Bella, are you sure you have had time to study?"

"Yes."

"Ok"

She helped me pull up to her desk so I could take the test. She passed out the test to everyone and told us to get started. It only took me about 20 minutes to finish the three page test. I handed it over to her. She cocked an eyebrow but took it. She quickly graded it and handed it back to me. I made a 100 on it. She had also written on there that she wanted to see me after class. I simply nodded my head at her. Did she think I cheated somehow? I was getting pretty nervous when the bell rang. Everyone handed in their tests and Emmett came up to push me out to meet Rose but Senora Goff told him to wait outside in the hall. He looked confused but did as he was asked. She quickly shut the door and turned to look at me for a moment.

"Bella, I know that you were in AP classes in Phoenix but I have to admit I am shocked at how well you did on the test. You have done well in the last 2 months that you have been here but not this good. Have you been holding back?"

"No, I just haven't been able to focus on my school work. But now that I know everything is going to be fine, I can let it all go."

"Have you gone into remission?" she asked hopefully.

"No, not yet."

"Then how do you know everything is going to be ok?" she asked softly.

"I know this is going to sound crazy but please just hear me out."

"Ok."

"When I was in the hospital, in the coma, Garrett came to see me. He told me he had been sent to tell me that everything was going to be ok. He said I had to keep fighting for just a little bit longer but that I was going to win. He said I would get to go to college, get married and have babies."

"Bella, that doesn't sound crazy. I am glad that you are going to be ok." she said as she walked over to the door and told Emmett to come in. Emmett gave me a confused look and started pushing me to the open door. We were fixing to go through when she stopped us. "Oh, and Bella?"

"Yes?"

"Congratulations on your engagement."

"Thank you." I said.

Emmett pushed me out of the door and we found Rose standing there tapping her foot. She elbowed Emmett out of the way and started pushing me down the hall quickly. I laughed hard as people jumped out of the way so she wouldn't hit them. She stopped in front of the music room and swung open the door and pushed me through. Emmett came running in just a few seconds later. Alice and Angela were bouncing on their toes while Ben and Jasper were standing their with their arms crossed on their chest. Edward had an amused expression on his face as he came over and pushed my chair over next to his. Everyone rushed over and sat in their seats and turned to face us.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"Bella, I have been patient all morning. You have to tell us now." snapped Rose.

"Tell you what?"

"Isabella Swan, don't make me call Renee." threatened Alice.

"Fine, I'll tell you. Edward and I have decided….."


	48. Chapter 48

"Yes…" they all said together.

"…to go to Dartmouth in the fall." I snickered. They all groaned as Edward and I chuckled at them. "Ok, seriously, Edward and I are getting married. We decided the morning of the benefit concert. We were going to tell you all Sunday but then I ended up in a coma for nine days. Last night, Edward took me onto the roof of the hospital. He had 100's of blush roses and candles everywhere. It was beautiful. He brought me mushroom ravioli from La Bella's. We talked about the future a little bit. Then we danced. He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I said yes. And he gave me this ring."

"Awe." they all said together.

"Who ever knew my brother could be so romantic." gushed Alice.

"That…is…the…most….romantic…story….ever." cried Rose.

"I know." I whispered as I kissed Edward softly.

"So when are you planning to get married?" asked Angela.

"We haven't settle on a date but I was hoping sometime in the next few weeks. I don't want to waste anymore time." I whispered.

"Bella and Edward, I am really happy for you both." whispered Emmett. I could tell he was really struggling with his emotions.

"Thanks, brother." I whispered softly.

"How do you think your parents will react?" asked Jasper.

"I think they will be supportive. I know it will be hard on Charlie and Renee, especially but I know that they will understand."

"Bella, can I help you plan the wedding?" asked Alice.

"Of course you can. I am going to need all three of my maids of honor to help."

"What?" asked Alice, Rose and Angela.

"I can't pick between my sisters. So all three of you can be my maid of honor. Besides I know exactly what I want for the wedding."

"What is that, love?" whispered Edward.

I spent the rest of the hour telling them about the wedding I envisioned while I was playing during the concert. Alice took notes, writing down all the details so we would know exactly what to do. Edward said he knew which meadow I was talking about. He said it wasn't far from our houses. The alarm on my cell went off to remind me to take my pill, so Edward and I said goodbye to the others. Edward pushed me down the hall and I quickly took my pill. He pushed me to my locker so I could get my biology book. He was fixing to take me to biology when I noticed Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley kiss each other goodbye. I smiled to myself at their new relationship. Edward pushed me into the classroom and helped me get on my stool. The table was to high for me to reach while in my chair.

Biology passed by quickly. We were working on identifying the stages of mitosis. It was pretty easy. I had done this lab back in Phoenix. Edward and I got done pretty quickly and spent the rest of the hour talking about how our parents were going to react. We decided we wanted to get married in three weeks. Since we were graduating in two weeks, this would give us one week to get everything finished up with the wedding. Edward wanted to take me on a month long honeymoon but I told him we would have to wait until I was in remission. I couldn't miss so many chemo treatments. I told him we were going to have to find an apartment to rent in New Hampshire so we could go to school. The bell rang and Edward lifted me off my stool and placed me back in my chair with a small kiss. We quickly made our way down to music. Peter had my cello set up and ready for me.

Music went by quickly. We told him the news of our engagement and he was happy for us. We practiced our pieces for Seattle. After spending nine days asleep, my arms were pretty tired from playing. I was afraid it was going to effect my performance in Seattle. Both Edward and Peter told me that no matter what happens at least I tried. I knew they were right but I wanted to win. The bell rang and Edward pushed me to my locker and lead me out to meet Renee. She was going to drive us to my treatment today since Edward didn't have his car. Edward lifted me up and set me in the back seat of the car. He quickly folder the wheelchair down and put it in the back. He climbed in next to me. Renee took off towards the hospital.

"How was school today?" she asked.

"It was ok." we said at the same time.

"How did everyone take the news of your engagement?" she asked.

"They were…wait what?" I asked

"Bella, you don't think we know about your engagement?" smirked Renee.

"How?" I demanded.

"Well, the ring on your left hand was a pretty big sign. Carlisle saw it this morning and called to ask me about it. We haven't told Charlie or Esme about it yet. We were thinking that maybe we should have everyone over for dinner tomorrow night to tell them?"

"What do you mean everyone?' asked Edward warely.

"William, Catherine, John, Elisabeth, Robert, Ann. James, Victoria, Peter, Charlotte, Carmen and Eleazar." she said as she pulled into a parking spot.

"Wait, why are you inviting Carmen and Eleazar?" he asked.

"Because they care about you and they are our friends." said Renee.

"Oh ok." said Edward. He got out and got my chair out of he back while Renee helped me climb out of the excursion.

"Is Dad going to be ok with us getting married?" I whispered.

"Bella, he is going to happy that you are happy. It will be hard or him to let you go but he knows that come September, you would be going to school anyway."

"Mom, thank you for giving up everything to move us here. I know it wasn't easy but-"

"Bella, we are happy here. Dad and I have friends here. No, we have family here."

"I know what you mean."

Edward lead us to the elevator and helped Renee push my chair in. We went up to Carlisle's office and checked in. After a few minutes Carmen told us to follow her. Renee said she would wait for us out in the waiting room. Edward pushed me into the room and helped me get on the bed. It just didn't' take much for me to get tired. He laid down next to me. Carlisle came in with a big smile on his face.

"What has you so happy?"

"Just happy to be getting another daughter."

"Your adopting?" I feigned shock.

"Isabella Marie Swan, I know all about the engagement." he teased.

"I know. Renee told us all about your phone call." I chuckled as he started my IV.

"We are just happy for you both." he said softly as a tear fell from his eye. "As parents, we pray that our children will someday find the love of their lifetimes. When they do, it is the best feeling ever."

"Awe, Carlisle, I love you to." I whispered through my tears.

"I will be back in a little while to check on you." he whispered as he kissed my forehead. He turned and left the room.

"What a long day." I murmured softly.

"Yes, it has been, but it has been a good day." whispered Edward softly.

"Yes, it has."

"Bella?"

"Yes, Edward?'

"I love you." He whispered softly before he kissed me.

"I love you to, Edward." I whispered as I pulled away.

Edward and I spent the hour talking about the competition in Seattle. The contest was Saturday night. It started at 7pm. We would leave early Saturday morning and drive to Seattle. We knew that Carlisle, Esme, Charlie and Renee were all going but we weren't sure about the others. After about an hour, Carlisle came back in and took our my IV.

Edward and I left with Renee and went home. Edward carried me upstairs to my room. As soon I laid down on my bed, I had to get up and go into the bathroom. Edward was with me the whole time. Once I felt better, he carried me to my bed and held me till I fell asleep. I woke up a few times during the night, Renee came in and helped me while I threw up. Eventually I made it back to bed. I slept through the rest of the night.


	49. Chapter 49

I woke up to my alarm blaring. I got up and took a quick shower. I pulled on a denim miniskirt and a blue tank top with a sheer white button up over it. I added a pair of blue flip flops. I slowly made my way down the stairs and sat down at the kitchen table. Charlie had already left for the coffee shop but Renee was still here.

"Bella, you feeling ok today?" asked Renee.

"Yeah, it just doesn't take much to get me tired." I said softly as I nibbled on the toast she had set in front of me.

"You will get your strength back in time." She said softly. "Bella, can I ask something?"

"Sure."

"When did you realize you were in love with Edward?"

"It was the Sunday after we moved here. Remember, I went to Alice's for a sleepover. I had fallen asleep early in the evening. I woke up just after midnight. I had gone up to Alice's room to get my sketch book, when I heard someone playing the piano. I followed the music and walked into Edward's room. I watched him play for several minutes. He plays with so much passion and emotion, I felt the tears fall down my face. He must have heard me because he stopped playing and came over to me and pulled me into his arms. He asked me if I was ok. I told him I thought he playing was beautiful. He said it was nothing compared to my playing. I suddenly felt my stomach turn so I ran to the bathroom. Edward came in and held me for the next few hours. He helped me clean up and he held me while I cried. He told me stories. He treated me like I was normal. After awhile I woke up, he had moved me to sleep in his bed. When I was ready to come home, he walked me to the door. He reached up and gently stroked my check. He ask me if I was ok. I told him I hoped I would be soon. He asked me if he could help. I told him I needed him to be my friend. He whispered that he would be anything for me that I wanted him to be. He leaned down and kissed my check. It was then that I realized I was in love with him."

"That's true love." she whispered as a tear fell from her eye. Just then the doorbell rang. "Come in, Edward." she yelled.

Edward was chuckling as he came into the house. "How did you know it was me?" He asked.

"Well you haven't seen her in ten whole hours. I am sure you were anxious." chuckled Renee.

"I was." he admitted. "Are you ready, love?"

"Yes, I am." I said. Edward came over and swept me into him arms. He turned to walk out of the house when Renee stopped us.

"Dinner is at 7pm at Edward's. Don't be late." hollered Renee.

"We won't." we yelled at the same time.

Edward and I were chuckling as we made our way over to the car. Emmett and Alice were waiting for us. Edward placed me into the front seat of the car. Emmett and Alice climbed into the backseat. They asked us if we were getting nervous about Seattle. I told them I was nervous but felt that I would be ok. Edward said the same thing as we pulled into the parking lot of the school. Emmett got our my chair from the trunk. I slowly made my way from the car into the seat.

The rest of the day went by pretty quick. It would seem that many of the students and teachers had heard about mine and Edward's engagement. I heard some people wondering if he was marring me because I was dying. The seem to be under the impression that my treatments had stopped working. I tried to ignore them but it was hard. I knew he was marrying me because he loved me.

I spent much of the morning in the bathroom. Most of the time Ben, Emmett or Edward would carry me to the bathroom but sometimes one of the other boys would take me. By lunch time I was feeling a little bit better, so I decided to practice for Seattle. My arms were sore from yesterday so it was really hard to push through it all and play but I knew I had to. I wasn't going to get an easier. By the time lunch was over, I was slightly out of breath. When I went to go take my pill, the nurse was pretty concerned. She refused to let me leave until she talked to Carlisle. She called him and told him what was going on. She smirked a little as she handed me the phone.

"Hello"

"Isabella Swan, I told you to take it easy." growled Carlisle.

"I am. I was practicing for Seattle. I was in this stupid chair." I huffed.

"Then why are you out of breath. You can't push your body to fast, Bella. It will take some time for your body to heal."

"I know but I have to practice." I whispered softly.

"I know you do but take it easy. Now let me talk to the nurse." he said softly.

I handed the phone back to her. After a few minutes she turned to look at me. She didn't seem to be to happy about what Carlisle told her. She just gave me a bottle water and sent me on to Biology. Edward pushed me down to class. By this time we were a few minutes late. He pushed my chair into the classroom and everyone turned to look at us. I could feel the blush on my cheeks when they just stared. I rolled my eyes as Edward pushed me over to our table. He helped me get up on my stool and we started our lab. By the time class was over, I was getting tired of all the staring. Did they just not have anything better to do? The bell finally rang and Edward and I went to music. We walked into the classroom to practice but Peter wasn't there. I couldn't find my cello. Edward and I looked everywhere. Suddenly I knew exactly what happened. I was pissed.

"He told them to hide it." I snapped.

"Who?"

"Carlisle, he told them to hide my cello so I couldn't practice again today."

"Why would he do that?" asked Edward.

"Because the nurse called him and told him how I was a little out of breath after practicing at lunch. He yelled at me on the phone about taking it easy." I grumbled.

"Wow, I would hate to be him when you see him tonight." chuckled Edward.

"I will not be ruining our dinner tonight. Lets go." I snapped as I started pushing my chair towards the door. Edward grabbed my chair and started pushing it for me.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"We are going to go see Carlisle." I muttered.

Edward helped me into this car and put my chair in the backseat. He peeled out of the parking lot. I sent a text to Emmett and Alice telling them to get a ride with Rose and Jasper. I told them we would explain later. A few minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. Edward helped me back into my chair and ran us into the hospital. We quickly got into the elevator and made our way up to his office. As soon as the elevator doors opened, I saw Carlisle standing there with a smirk on his face. The bastard was waiting for us. I glared at him as Edward pushed my chair out of the elevator. Carlisle motioned for us to follow him back. He lead us back into an examination room. As soon as the door was shut, I let loose on him.

"What the hell do you think you are doing, Carlisle." I snapped.

"I am making sure you don't over do it by being a stubborn pain is the ass." he snapped back.

"You need to stop butting in and let me control my life, Dr. Cullen." I sneered.

"Maybe I could do that if you hadn't proven to me that you won't be honest with us. You won't let us help you. You nearly died from the pneumonia, Isabella. We don't want to lose you." He yelled.

"You aren't going to." I whispered as the tears fell down my face. "I was wrong not to tell you that I was sick that night. I know that but I think I have earned the right to be able to make my own choices for my life."

"Bella, your right. I'm sorry for having Peter hide your cello, but it won't help you win if you can't move your arms or breath because you are pushing yourself to hard." whispered Carlisle.

"I have to be able to practice."

"You did practice today, Bella. Please just listen to me this once." he whispered.

"Fine, just don't ever trick me like that again. I don't like it." I whispered as I hugged him tightly. "Dad's aren't supposed to trick their daughters."

"Daughter's aren't supposed to make their dads worry." he chuckled at he hugged me back.

"I love you, Dad." I whispered.

"I love you to, daughter." he whispered.

Edward and I left the hospital and made our way home. I found my cello sitting in the living room. I realized that Carlisle called Peter to bring my cello to Renee. Those sneaky devils. Edward carried me upstairs and we took a nap. It felt great to have his arms wrapped around me. I knew that no matter what happened in our lives we would end each day wrapped in each other's arms. We slept for a couple hours. Then we got up on my laptop and looked for apartments to rent in Dartmouth. We found several that we liked. We decided that we would fly out after the wedding and look at a few of them.

At 6:45, we headed over to Edward's house. We chuckled to ourselves when we walked in and everyone was waiting for us. Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Ben, and Angela were all snickering to each other. I think they were enjoying being in on the secret. Peter, Renee and Carlisle were all trying to hide their grins from their spouses. Everyone else looked pretty nervous. Maybe they thought the news was bad.

"Hey, everyone. What's going on?" I asked innocently.


	50. Chapter 50

"Why don't you tell us?" demanded Esme.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"We know you are hiding something, Isabella." snapped Charlie. I could tell he was on the verge of losing it. I decided to put him out of his misery. I looked up at Edward and he nodded his head softly.

"We need to you keep the June 10th free."

"Why?" asked Charlie.

"Because Edward and I are getting married and we would like for you all to be there." I said softly as I held up my left hand. For a moment, nobody moved or said anything. Then they all looked at each other and started cheering for us.

"Congratulations!' squealed Victoria, Ann, Elisabeth, Carmen and Catherine as the hugged me tight.

"Take care of her." said William, James, Robert, Eleazar and John as they hugged Edward. I looked over and saw Charlie and Esme corning Emmett, Rose, Alice, Jasper, Ben, Angela, Carlisle and Renee.

"Daddy?" I whispered as I put my hand on his shoulder. I felt his body relax at my touch. "Don't be mad at them. I love Edward. We are going to be together forever."

"I'm not mad, baby. I am happy for you and Edward. I just didn't like being kept in the dark." he whispered as he pulled me into his arms.

"We only told Em, Jas, Rose, Ali, Ang, Ben and Peter yesterday. Carlisle saw the ring when he picked me up from the hospital and he called Mom." I explained.

"You knew and didn't tell me." shrieked Esme, Charlie, and Charlotte to their spouses.

"Thanks a lot, Bella." mumbled Peter, Carlisle and Renee.

"Your welcome. Next time don't touch my cello." I smirked.

"You really are kind of evil, Bella." muttered Carlisle.

"Yet, you still love me."

"That we do." said Peter. Charlotte, Esme and Charlie were still glaring at their spouses. "Char, don't be mad at me. I was going to tell you after school but Renee called and invited us to dinner. I thought you might like the surprise."

"You might enjoy sleeping on the couch tonight." smirked Charlotte. Peter just hung his head in defeat. I looked back at Charlie and Renee.

"Charlie, don't be like that." muttered Renee.

"Don't be like what, Renee." he smirked as he pulled her into his arms and whispered something in her ear that made her eyes got really big and she blushed a dark shade of red before she started giggling.

"Ugh, I don't what to know." Edward and I said at the same time. Esme was still glaring at Carlisle as he tried not to chuckle at Charlie and Renee. I looked around to see everyone watching them.

"Carlisle Cullen, how could you not tell me?" demanded Esme as a tear fell from her eye. She was really hurt.

"Esme, I am sorry we didn't tell you." I whispered as I pulled her into my arms. "I love you so much. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me, dear. I am very happy for you and Edward." she whispered as she hugged me back.

"Thank you, Mom." choked out Edward as she hugged us both.

"Esme, darling, I'm sorry for not telling you." said Carlisle.

"You will be sorry tonight when you are sleeping on the couch." snapped Esme. She turned to look at everyone and smiled. "Shall we go eat our dinner."

We all managed to stifle our chuckles when Carlisle went to protest. He quickly shut his mouth when Esme glared at him. We followed them into the dinning room. Esme had set up dinner buffet style since their were so many of us. Emmett, Jasper, Edward, Ben, Rose, Alice, Angela and I all went and ate in the kitchen while all the adults when and ate in the dinning room. We joked and teased each other. We snickered at how our parents had gotten in trouble for keeping our engagement a secret. It was nice not being on the receiving end of the glares for a change. By 8:30, I was started to fall asleep at the table. Charlie and Renee told Edward just to take me upstairs to his room. Alice said she would go grab me some cloths for school tomorrow. Edward carried me upstairs and helped me change into one of his t-shirts. He pulled me into his arms as he laid in the bed with me. He hummed my song to me as I fell asleep.

We woke the next day just after 6am. We took turns taking a shower. Alice brought me a pair of jeans, a blue fitted t-shirt and a pair of blue flats. Once Edward and I were both dressed, Edward carried me downstairs. I chuckled when I saw the sheets and blankets on the couch. We walked into the kitchen and froze. There was Esme and Carlisle in a passionate embrace. When we cleared our throats, they jumped apart.

"We, um, take it you have made up?" I chuckled as Edward set me down in a chair.

"I need to bleach my brain." muttered Edward.

"Grow up, Edward. We know about the hotel room on prom night." smirked Carlisle. I am pretty sure my face was a red as a tomato. "Don't be embarrassed, Bella. I am sure in time he will learn how to please you."

"Trust me, Carlisle, he knows to please me. He does this thing with his tongue…"I trailed off. Esme and Edward both choked on their juice. Carlisle started chuckling at them. "I am sure he can give you some pointers. Then maybe you won't have to sleep on the couch for much longer." I teased with a wink.

This time Carlisle choked on his juice while Edward swept me into his arms, laughing. We walked out of the kitchen hearing Carlisle tell Esme not to encourage me by laughing. We walked out and found Emmett and Alice with shocked looks on their faces. Apparently they overheard our conversations. They just shook their heads lightly and walked out of the house. We all climbed into the car and headed to school.

Friday went very fast. Edward and I told Rose, Jasper, Angela and Ben about what happened this morning. They all thought it was pretty funny. Eventually even Emmett and Alice laughed about it with us. I spent lunch practicing on my cello. Edward practiced his piece on the piano. He was really good. Even though my arms were still a little sore, it was getting a little easier to the more I practiced. Before I knew it I was sitting in Carlisle's office getting another chemo treatment. Carlisle came in and took some blood before started my IV. He wanted to check to make sure I was still doing ok. He got my IV started. Edward and I spent the entire hour kissing.

Carlisle finally came back and took out my IV. He said he would see us at 7am to leave for Seattle. I gave him a big hug as I left the office with out my wheelchair. Edward took me home and waited with me until Alice, Rose and Angela got there. They were going to sleep over and help me get my things packed for the weekend. I know it was hard for Edward to leave me but he was going to go hang out with Emmett, Jasper and Ben tonight. He was going to ask them to be his best men.

I was laying on my bathroom floor when they got here. Edward was rubbing m back and humming to me. I felt better so he helped me to my bed and kissed me goodnight. I laid there for a few minutes while I let my stomach settle. Alice, Rose and Angela began to pack my things for me. I looked over at them and felt the tears fall from my eyes.

"You three are the best sisters." I whispered.

"We love you so much, Bella." said Alice as she climbed into the bed wrapping her little arms around me.

"You are so much stronger than I am." whispered Rose as she joined us.

"I don't think I could go through all of this." whispered Angela as she climbed on the bed with us.

We were laying there with out arms wrapped around each other when the door to my room burst open. Standing in my door way was Emmett, Jasper, Ben and Edward. They were all standing their with their mouths hanging open. I think they may have been drooling. I decided to have some fun with them so I reached over and patted Rose on the ass. She moaned as she winked at me and scooted closer to me. Alice and Angela were trying really hard not to laugh as they reach out and pulled each others faces so close that at the angle that the boys were it looked like they were kissing.

"HOT DAMN!" bellowed Emmett.

"OH MY GOD!" yelled Ben while Edward and Jasper both stood there with their mouths hanging open.


	51. Chapter 51

We all busted out laughing as we broke apart. It took us several minutes to stop laughing. Suddenly I sprang up and ran into the bathroom. Edward held me as I threw up for several minutes. He helped me clean up and carried me back out to my bed. I could tell everyone was trying to ignore the fact that I had just thrown up.

"What are you going here?" I whispered softly.

"I forgot my jacket. We were going to go get some dinner. I thought I would grab it really fast. Plus I wanted to kiss you again." he said softly. "We weren't expecting to see you all in bed together though."

"You guys are a bunch of perverts." I chuckled.

"All you think about is sex." smirked Rose.

"That's not true." grumbled Emmett. "I think about food to."

"There is a surprise, Em." I chuckled.

"It's not our fault that you all are way to sexy for your own good." smirked Jasper as he kissed Alice hard.

"Enough mushy crap. Leave so we can get back to our night of lesbian fun." I smirked.

Then I saw Charlie standing in my doorway. He just muttered something under his breath then turned and walked away. We all started laughing at his reaction. The boys all kissed us one more time and left us alone. After they helped me get the last of my bags packed for Seattle, Alice, Rose, Angela and I went downstairs to grab some dinner. We decided on making soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. We had just sat down at the table when Charlie came in to the room. He blushed as he grabbed himself a glass of water and left the room. I think we may have scarred him for life. After we finished out dinner, I managed to eat a little bit of it, we grabbed a bunch of movies and took them to my room. We all got settle on my bed and started the first one. I think I managed to stay away for about 5 minutes before I fell asleep.

I woke up bright and early at 6am. I was surprised that I managed to sleep through the entire night with out throwing up at least one. Alice and Rose went to Alice's to get ready. Angela showered in Kate's bathroom while I used mine. I slipped into a pair of yoga pants and a red t-shirt. I would change once we got to the hotel. I tied my red scarf on my head and went downstairs. Charlie, Renee and Angela were waiting at the door. As soon as I stepped off of the stairs they were pulling me out of the door. I saw Carlisle and Esme doing to the same to Edward. Charlie and Renee were going to ride in Carlisle's Mercedes with him and Esme while Emmett, Edward, Jasper, Angela, Rose, Ben, Alice and I took our excursion.

We climbed in and followed Carlisle to the school. Apparently Peter called this morning all freak out about something happening to my cello. We pulled into the parking lot. I was surprised to see it completely full of cars. We jumped out of our cars and headed into the school. But instead of going to the music room they lead us to the gym. We walked in and froze.

The entire gym was packed with students, parents and residents of Forks. A lot of them had signs with mine and Edward's names on them. They were screaming and cheering for us as we walked into the gym. I could feel the tears falling down my face as Charlie and Renee pulled me to the middle of the gym. I looked over and saw Carlisle and Esme doing to the same to Edward. He had tears falling down his face to. He came over to me and wrapped his arm around my waist. Peter came out with a mike in his hand. He held his hand up to quiet the crowd. Once they were quiet, he spoke.

"Thank you for coming out this morning and supporting Edward and Bella. They have both worked very hard over the last two months preparing for this competition. They have faced more challenges than most of us will during our entire life times. Regardless of how they do tonight, I want them to know that I am very proud of them. Edward and Bella, thank you for not quitting, for always pushing each other and for loving music the way you do."

I walked over and gave him a hug. He handed me the mike and whispered for me to tell them how I feel. I took a deep breath and looked at everyone. I was happy to see Tanya, Seth, Marcus and Didyme in the stands along with Leah and Jacob.

"When Peter first told us about the competition, I wasn't going to sign up for it. I was afraid to try because of the leukemia. But the love and support of my friends and family encouraged me to at least try. Garrett and Kate told me that I can't hide behind the leukemia. I couldn't let it control my life. I made a promise to Garrett and Kate that I would compete. It doesn't matter if Edward or I win tonight because we will have at least tried. Thank you for helping us."

I gave the mike back to Peter and pulled Edward into my arms. We both waved at everyone and followed Peter to the music room. I playfully glared at him for teasing us about something happening to my cello but he knew I wasn't serious. We got the cello and our music loaded into the back of the car. I noticed that the parking lot cleared out pretty fast as we loaded into our cars. Carlisle told us to take the lead and they would follow us. We headed out of the parking lot and were greeted by everyone on the side of the road cheering for us. All through town we saw, our classmates and their parents, our neighbors and friends lined up shoulder to shoulder in support of us. I could feel the tears fall down my face as I waved to them all from my opened window. I saw Lauren and Tyler, and Jessica and Mike all wrapped in each other's arms as they waved at us. It made me happy to see them finally find love. We finally managed to make it out of town and headed up to the highway to Seattle. I slept the whole way wrapped in Edward's arms while Emmett drove.

I was shaken awake when the car stopped. I opened my eyes and saw that we were at the hotel. We climbed out of the car and stretched. We followed our parents into the hotel and checked in. They lead us up the elevator and handed us a key to our room. Alice, Rose, Angela and I were going to be in room 318. Edward, Emmett, Ben, and Jasper were going to be in room 319. Carlisle and Esme were in room 320 and Charlie and Renee were in room 317. Peter and Charlotte were in room 316. We all got settle and decided to go grab lunch before Edward and I had to be at the civic center for rehearsals. We decided to just head down to hotel restaurant.

"So have you all decided where you want to go to college?" asked Carlisle.

"Dartmouth." we all said at the same time. We all looked at each other with our mouths hanging open.

"I thought you applied to Harvard, Rose." I asked.

"I did and I got in, but after doing some thinking about what I really wanted, I decided to go with you and Edward to Dartmouth." she said softly

"Me to." said Alice. "I need my sisters."

"Me to." said Angela. "Besides, Dartmouth has a great English program."

"I wanted to be close to you all to. We just got you, I couldn't let you go yet." grumbled Emmett as he tried to stop a tear from falling from his eye.

"I love you to, brother." I whispered softly.

"What are you all going to study?" asked Charlie.

"I am going to study mechanical engineering." said Rose.

"I am going to study interior design." said Alice.

"History." said Jasper.

"Law" said Ben.

"Psychology." said Emmett. We all cock an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"Nothing." we all muttered to ourselves.

"Edward and Bella, how about you?" asked Esme. We looked at each other and smile.

"Medicine." we both said.

"Not music?" asked Peter.

"No, I love music and it will always be my passion. But after being sick, I know that I want to be a doctor. I want to help others." I said softly.

"Same here." whispered Edward.

"That is great." said Peter.

Nobody else said anything else about it. We finished our lunch and paid the check. Edward and I ran upstairs and grabbed our bags and my cello for tonight. We met Peter in the lobby and headed off to the civic center. We got there pretty quickly and went to check in. I noticed a lot of people were staring at me. I tried not to notice but it was kind of hard. They told us to go have a seat in the auditorium and they would let us know what to do next. We walked in and found about twenty people waiting. We quickly took our seats. After a few minutes, a tall dark haired main came out on the stage followed by a black haired man and red headed woman with bright blue eyes.

"Thank you for being on time today. We have a lot of work to do today to get ready for tonight. Let me introduce myself and my fellow judges. I am Aro Volturi. This is Caius Santiago. Beside him is the lovely Maggie Siobhan. We run the Seattle Orchestra. It is a pleasure to meet you all. Once we announce you, please come up on stage. This is the order you will be playing in tonight. So we have Felix, Jane, Heidi, Liam, Alec, Edward, Senna, Demetri, Tia and finally Isabella. We wish you all good luck tonight."


	52. Chapter 52

For the next three hours, we ran through the show. We only play a little bit of our music but I have to admit they were all very good. Heidi, Tia, Edward, Senna, Felix and Alec all played the piano. Jane and Liam played the violin. Demetri and I played the cello. All of us girls were shown our dressing room, while the boys were shown theirs. We were sitting around on the stage when I noticed that a Jane and Tia were whispering to each other and looking at me.

"Is there something you would like to ask me?" I asked softly.

"We were just wondering why you have no hair." said Jane.

" I shaved it off about six weeks ago." I stated. I noticed that everyone was looking at me.

"Why would you do that?" asked Liam.

"It was falling out." I explained. I noticed that all looked confused. I chuckled to myself and explained. "I have leukemia. I was diagnosed five months ago. But I wasn't able to start treatments until 2 months ago because my parents and I moved from Phoenix to Forks. A couple weeks after I started chemo, my hair started falling out so I shaved it all off."

"Wow, and you are still competing?" asked Alec.

"Yes, I promised my best friend that I would compete today. He and his fiancé were killed in a car accident three weeks ago." I said softly as a tear fell from my eye.

"You all need to go get ready for the show." said Aro as he stepped onto the stage. We all got up and started back to the dressing rooms. "Isabella, may I speak to you for a moment?"

"Yes, of course." I said. I kissed Edward and walked over to Aro.

"I know the last few months have been difficult for you. I have heard about you from my friend, Peter. I was happy when I received your tape of your playing. Let the music flow out of you tonight, dear." he said. He then turned and walked away.

I stood there for a few minutes confused at our exchange. I slowly made my way back to the dressing room. We had about an hour to show time so the other girls got their hair done while I got my makeup done. Once they were done we all changed into our outfits for tonight. They were all wearing dresses while I was wearing my black leather pants, red sequin strapless top and a pair of red leather heels. We met the boys back stage. As soon as Edward saw me he came over and wrapped his arms around me and kissed me hard. He looked so hot in a pair of tight black dress pants and a tight black dress shirt. He left the top three buttons undone. All of the other boys were wearing black pants, and white shirts with ties. I knew we would definitely stand out tonight.

We could hear Aro introduce himself and the other judges. He welcomed them to the show and hoped they enjoyed our performances. He then welcomed Felix out to the stage to begin the night. For the next hour, Edward and I sat backstage with our arms wrapped around each other. We listened to everyone who went on before him go out and play. They were all very good but I knew Edward was better. Finally it was Edward's turn to go out on stage. I pulled him into my arms and kissed him hard.

"I love you." I whispered.

"You are my life, Bella. I love you to." he whispered as he kissed me again. He took a deep breath and went out on to the stage.

He turned threw me his crooked smile as he sat down at the piano. He placed his fingers on the keys and began to play. He wasn't playing the song he had been practicing for the last month. He was playing my song. I felt the tears spring up in my eyes as he played each note. I could feel his love, his desire, his passion for me. I could feel his excitement as our wedding came closer. I could feel his fingers grazing my hips as he pulled me closer to him with each note he played. As he finished playing, I felt a rush of excitement run through my body. He stood up and bowed to the audience. He turned and walk right to me and kissed me hard. I threw my arms around him as I deepened the kiss. We broke away when we heard people snickering behind us. We turned and saw the others watching us.

"What's so funny?" I snapped.

"Nothing, we just noticed that you didn't hear them say we were having a ten minute intermission." smirked Felix.

"No, we didn't." chuckled Edward.

Ten minutes later, the show started with Senna's performance in the piano. About 45 minutes later, it was my turn to perform. I was very nervous about being the last performer of the evening. I gave Edward a kiss and he wished me luck. He told me he loved me and I kissed him again before I grabbed my cello and made my way to the stage. I sat on the bench that had been moved to the center of the stage for me and looked out at the audience. I saw Emmett, Jasper, Rose, Alice, Ben, Angela, Tanya, Seth, Leah and Jacob sitting in the front row. Behind them was Carlisle, Esme, Charlie, Renee, James, Victoria, William, Catherine, Robert and Ann. In the row behind them was John, Elisabeth, Peter, Charlotte, Eleazar, Carmen, Marcus, Didyme, Mr. Owens, Mr. Banner and Senora Goff. I also saw Mike, Tyler, Lauren and Jessica sitting with a handful of our other classmates. I took a deep breathe, closed my eyes and began playing.

I played for all of us who had lost a friend or loved one. I played for Garrett and Kate, for the life they would never have. I threw all of my grief and pain over the last five months. I threw every night that I laid on the cold bathroom floor, every night I cried in Edward's arms, every night that I spent in bed instead of going to parties. I played for myself. As I played the last note, I knew that no matter what happened now, I was a winner. I knew I would be ok.

For a split second, I kept my eyes closed. I could feel the tears running down my face. I opened my eyes and heard everyone cheering as they jumped to their feet. I wiped my face free of tears as I stood up and bowed. I slowly made my way off stage and found my self in Edward's arms.

"Bella, love, that was amazing. I could feel so much of it." he whispered as he let his tears fall. "They would be so proud of you."

"I love you so much, Edward." I whispered as I kissed him.

We were told to go out on stage. Apparently the judges had picked their winner. As we made our way out to the stage, everyone told me how great I did. I thanked them and told them they were all amazing musicians. We stood on the stage while Aro, Caius and Maggie all made their way up to the stage. I could feel the nerves hitting as we stood there.

"Weren't they all amazing tonight?" asked Aro. Everyone clapped for us once more. "Thank you to all of our competitors. You should all be proud for how well you played. We have decided on the top three competitors. Our third place winner will receive a $5,000 per year college scholarship to the school of their choice. Our second place winner will receive a $10,000 per year college scholarship to the school of their choice. Our grand prize winner will receive a four year full scholar ship to the college of their choice." he explained.

"Our third place winner is Miss Tia Amun for Portland Oregon." said Maggie. We all clapped for her as she went over and took her trophy and certificate from Maggie.

"Our second place winner is Mr. Edward Cullen from Forks Washington." said Caius. Edward reached over and gave me a kiss before he went over and took his stuff from Caius. I could see everyone cheering and screaming in support for him.

"It is my pleasure to announce that this year's grand champion is Miss Isabella Swan." announced Aro. Everyone jumped up to their feet and started yelling an screaming for me as they clapped. I slowly made my way over to Aro. I could feel the tears falling down my face as I took the trophy in my hands. Aro leaned in and whispered to me. "You were truly a joy to watch perform, my dear."

"Thank you so much." I whispered through my tears. I went over to Edward and threw my free arm around him and hugged him tightly. I pulled back and looked out at our family. I noticed that nearly all of them were wiping their eyes as they cheered for us.

Aro thanked us all again and closed out the evening. Edward, Tia and I had to take a million pictures before we could go meet our families. We quickly ran to the dressing rooms and grabbed our belongings. We ran back out to find our families. Edward and I were attack by our families as soon as we stepped off the stage. We felt dozens of arms wrap around us. It was a little overwhelming as we made our way through the crowds to our parents. Charlie and Renee pulled me into their arms.

"You were so amazing, baby." cried Renee.

"You are so beautiful." whispered Charlie.

"I love you both so much. Thank you for everything." I whispered as my tears fell from my eyes.

"Thank you, baby, for never quitting." whispered Charlie as he pulled back.

"Bella" I heard Peter whispered from behind me. I turned and looked at him. He had tears pouring down his face. I stepped up to him and wrapped my arms around him.

"Thank you for pushing me to compete." I whispered.

"No, Bella, thank you for fighting." he whispered in my ear.


	53. Chapter 53

We all headed back to the hotel. Carlisle and Charlie had rented out one of the banquet rooms so we could celebrate. They had tons of food and punch for everyone. For the next few hours, Edward and I celebrated with everyone. I managed to talk to everyone for a least a few minutes. They were all very proud of both of us for our performances. Someone turned on some music so we all started dancing. After a few hours, Edward and I managed to sneak out of the banquet room. We went out and sat out by the out door pool. Edward wrapped me in his arms as he held me on a pool lounger.

"Edward, why did you decide to play my song tonight?" I whispered.

"It felt right. Every time I played the other song, I felt like something was off with it. I couldn't figure it out. Then you kissed me before I was going on to play. I knew that I was supposed play your song." he whispered as he nuzzled my neck.

"I could how much you love me in every note you played" I whispered as I sucked on his ear lob. I heard him moan. I moved so that I was straddling him. I moved my lips to his neck. "I could your fingers on my skin with every stroke of the keys."

"Bella…" he moaned as he gripped my hips roughly and pulled me closer to him.

"I felt a rush of excitement through my body when you played your final note. I felt my panties get wet as I heard you finish." I whispered as I sucked on his collar bone. I ground my hips into his.

"Bella, when you were playing, I could feel your hands running over my chest. I could feel your hot little mouth over ever inch of my body. It took every bit of my control not to come out on that stage and take you in front of everyone." He moaned into my lips as I kissed him hard.

"What's stopping you now?" I whispered softly into his ear.

Edward just moaned as he jumped up and swept me into his arms. We ran into a supply closest that was just inside the hotel by the pool. As soon as the door was shut, Edward had me pressed against the door. I unbuttoned his shirt as fast as I could. I needed him now. I yanked his shirt off. I reached down and undid his pants and pushed them and his boxers down. I pushed Edward against the door roughly as I dropped to my knees. I quickly took his hard cock into my mouth.

"Fuck." groaned Edward.

I began moving my head along his beautiful and tasty cock. I used my tongue to massage his shaft while I lightly grazed it with my teeth. I felt him shutter when I relaxed my throat and took him all the way him. I could tell he wasn't going to last long so I quickened my pace as I felt him tensing. He tried to push me off of him but I pushed his hands away and moaned. I felt him tense again as he spilled into my mouth. I hungrily swallowed everything he offered me. I jumped up and kissed him hard.

Edward pulled my shirt off and undid my pants. He quickly pulled my pants and panties off in one quick move. Edward fell to his knees and lifted my legs to his shoulders, leaving me wide open for him. He gave my pussy one long swipe with his tongue before he buried his face in me. He pulled my bundle of nerves between his teeth as he inserted a finger I grabbed his head as he inserted another finger. He began thrusting in and out of me fast and hard. I could feel my body shake as my orgasm rocked through me.

"Edward." I moaned.

Edward stood up and kissed me hard. He rolled on a condom and he lifted me so I wrapped my legs around him. He kissed me hard as he thrust in my with so much force I cried out into his mouth. His need for me matched my need for him. I kissed him over and over as I felt him pounding me. He pulled me so close that I wasn't sure where I started and he ended. I could feel my second orgasm building so I leaned over and whispered in this ear.

"Come with me, my love."

Edward quickened his pace even more. A few thrust later, we climaxed together. I leaned my head on his shoulder as I struggle to catch my breath.

"I…love…you." panted softly.

"I …love … you ." panted Edward.

He slowly put me back on my feet and helped me get dressed. I helped him pull up his pants and button his shirt. I was a miracle we even managed to make it out of the closet again. We quietly made our way back to the banquet hall. Nearly everyone had gone to bed but Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Ben, Angela, Carlisle, Esme, Charlie and Renee were still there. They all looked at us and we tried to act normal but Emmett started snickering. That sent Jasper, Rose, Alice, Ben and Angela into chuckles. Carlisle, Esme, Charlie and Renee were looking confused. We just ignored them as we grabbed our room keys and told them all good night.

We went upstairs and spent a few minutes…um talking in front of my door. It wasn't until the elevator dinged that we broke apart and saw everyone coming to our rooms. We kissed each other quickly and ran into our separate rooms. A few moments later, the door to my room was thrown open. Angela, Rose, and Alice came running in. They jumped on the bed that I was sitting on.

"So, Bella. Where did you and Edward sneak off to?" smirked Rose.

"Um, we went and sat by the pool and talked for awhile." I said as I looked down at my hands.

"So at what point did you decide to go fuck in the supply closet?" snickered Alice. I buried my face into my hands.

"How did you know?"

"Emmett and I came looking for you. We heard a lot of moaning coming from closest. We weren't sure it was you and Edward until we heard you scream out his name." snickered Rose.

"Does anyone else know?" I asked mortified.

"Nope, just us, Jasper and Ben." laughed Angela.

"Thank god for that." I muttered.

"He must have done something right with the way you were going on." said Rose.

"You have no idea." I whispered softly. They all looked like they were going to say something but I stopped them. "I am going to go take a shower."

I got up and practically ran into the bathroom. I am pretty sure I heard someone, I think it was Rose, say I was definitely dirty. I ignored the comment and started the shower. I stripped out of my cloths and stepped into the hot water. The hot water felt so nice on my body. It had been so a long but exciting day. I never thought in a million years that I would actually win the competition. After a several minutes, I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. I wrapped my towel around me and went out into our room. I opened my suitcase and grabbed a pair of panties and my pajamas. I went back into the bathroom and slipped them on. I walked out and climbed onto the bed with the girls. I pulled them all into my arms as we all started giggling.

We flipped through the channels for a little while before we decided to just go to sleep. I got over into the bed with Angela. As I fell asleep, I thought about Garrett and Kate. I felt a tear fall from my eye as I felt them wrap their arms around me. I know they are proud of me for making it to Seattle.


	54. Chapter 54

I woke up after only a few hours of sleep. I didn't want to bother the girls, so I grabbed my sketch book and went out into the hall to draw. I hadn't been out there three minutes when Edward stepped out of his room and sat next to me. He pulled me into his arms and kissed my cheek.

"Your up early." he whispered.

"I woke up with the sudden desire to sketch you. I was thinking about how you looked when you were fucking me last night against the door." I whispered in Edward's ear. He moaned and I chuckled. "Don't move."

I moved to the opposite wall. I stared at him as I let my pencil move across the paper. He kept trying to get me to smile as he sat there. After about an hour, I turned my sketch book around and showed him my picture. He reached out and took it from my hands and studied it for a moment. He looked up at me and gave me a crooked smile as a tear fell from his eye.

"Love, is there anything you aren't amazing at?" he whispered. I climbed over into his lap and let my tears fall down my face as I leaned in a kissed him.

"I can do everything as love as I have you." I whispered softly.

Just then the door to Charlie and Renee's room opened and they both stepped out. They looked down at us, in each other's arms with tears running down our faces and panicked. They both dropped to their knees and yelled loudly.

"WHAT'S THE MATTER?" they yelled at the same time.

"Nothing." we both said. A few seconds later the doors to our rooms, Carlisle and Esme's room, as well as Peter and Charlotte's room and William and Catherine's rooms opened. They all poured out into the hall way with worried looks on their faces.

"What is going on?" bellowed Emmett.

"Nothing, really. Edward and I were just talking while I was sketching." I explained.

"Then why were you both crying?" asked Renee.

"She showed me the sketch she did of me. It was beautiful and totally amazing. Sorry if I was a little emotional." mumbled Edward clearly embarrassed.

"You were crying over a sketch?" snickered Jasper.

"It wasn't really the actual sketch as much as it was how perfect Bella is. She is an amazing musician, artist, and friend. She is completely amazing." he whispered as another tear fell down both our faces.

"AWE." all the girls said together.

"GEEZ" all the men grumbled.

Edward and I looked up at them all and saw the guys were glaring at him again while all the women were glaring at their men.

"What?" we said at the same time.

"Edward, son, we need to go have a talk." chuckled Carlisle as he pulled me off of Edward's lap. Charlie yanked Edward up and pulled him into the boys rooms. Carlisle, William and Peter all folded their arms over their chest and followed them into the room.

"Don't hurt him." I yelled out as they shut the door behind them. All of the women laughed with me as we went back into our rooms. I turned to look at Alice, Rose and Angela. "You don't think they will hurt him, do you?"

"No, they will probably just try to tell him he is breaking some stupid guy code or something." chuckled Rose as she got dressed.

"If they were smart, they would be taking notes from him. He is really a romantic." laughed Angela.

"Yes he is." sighed Alice. "Who would have thought Edward was so sweet?"

"No kidding. He's is definitely a sweetie." smirked Rose.

We quickly got dressed and packed our belongings. We heard the door to the boys room open and shut. We waited a few minutes then went over and knocked on the door. Edward pulled the door open. He didn't look very happy. He grabbed my hand and my suitcase and pulled me down to the elevator. He was muttering something under his breath. I was actually kind of nervous about what was going on through his head at this moment. The doors to the elevator opened and Edward pulled me in. I saw Alice, Rose and Angela snapping at Emmett, Jasper and Ben as the doors closed. I looked over at Edward slowly. I was fixing to ask him what was wrong when the door opened and he lead me out to the excursion. He popped the trunk and put our luggage in it. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back into the hotel. He lead me back out to the pool area and we sat on the same lounger as we did last night.

"Edward?" I whispered.

"Yes, Bella?"

"They didn't hurt you, did they?" I whispered softly. Edward just chuckled softly before he kissed me.

"No, love, they didn't hurt me. They called me a traitor to all men. They accused me of purposely trying to make them look bad. They told me that I had to stop trying to woo you or else you would expect it all the time once we were married." he explained.

"What did you say?" I muttered. I will admit I was pretty pissed with them all.

"I told them I was only speaking the truth. I told them that it's not my fault that I am the luckiest man on the planet for getting to hold you in my arms every day." he whispered. "Then Emmett had to go and open his big fucking mouth about our evening in the supply closest."

"HE WHAT?"

"I know."

"In front of Charlie, William, Peter, and Carlisle?" I snapped.

"Yep."

"What did Charlie say?"

"He got really red in the face and then walked out." snapped Edward. "A few minutes later, you came over. I knew we just had to leave before I hurt Emmett."

"He really is a fucking idiot, isn't he?" I mumbled.

"Yes, love, he is." whispered Edward.

"Edward?"

"Yes, love?"

"I love you." I whispered softly.

"I love you, my Bella." whispered Edward before he kissed me again.

After a few minutes, we heard someone clear their throat behind us. We looked over to find Charlie, Renee, Carlisle and Esme watching us. We stood up and walked over to them. I really wasn't sure what to say or what not to say so I chose not to say anything. For a few minutes we stood there in silence.

"Well, are you both at least being safe?" whispered Charlie.

"Of course we are." I whispered as a tear fell from my eye.

"Good." he grumbled before pulling Renee back into the hotel.

Carlisle and Esme just gave me and Edward a small smile and followed them. Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and lead me back into the hotel with the others. We followed them into the hotel restaurant. Peter, Charlotte, William and Catherine were all sitting a table together. Carlisle, Esme, Charlie and Renee all went and joined them. Edward and I looked over and noticed that Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Ben and Angela were a large table in the back. We went back and joined them. Emmett opened his mouth to say something but I stopped him.

"Don't bother." I snapped.

"But-" he started but stopped when Rose turned her glare on him.

"So have you all ordered yet?" I asked.

"Not yet." muttered Jasper.

"Good because the hot and amazing sex Edward and I had last night made me fucking hungry this morning." I smirked.

We all busted out laughing. I went around and gave Emmett a big hug and told him if he ever pulls anything like that again I would cut his nuts off. I am pretty sure he believed me to. We ate our breakfast quickly and headed back home. I slept the whole way in Edward's arms again. Once we got home, Edward carried me upstairs and held me while I slept. The weekend had really done a number on me.

The next two weeks of school went by quickly. When we got to school on Monday, Edward and I were greeted by cheers and applause from our classmates. We decided to give the school our trophies for their trophy case. We explained to Eleazar that we couldn't have done it with out the support of the school. He graciously accepted them. Most of our classes spent the week reviewing for finals. I continued to go to my chemo treatments, they weren't making me nearly as sick anymore so that was a good thing. We also started planning the wedding. Alice tried to talk me out of having it in the meadow but I refused. I knew that we were supposed to get married there. There was a small path that lead to the meadow. I was told on Friday that I was valedictorian of the senior class, which meant I had to give a speech. I wasn't really looking forward to it.

Alice, Rose, Angela and I spent Saturday shopping with Esme and Renee for my wedding dress and their bride's maid dresses. We found blue sundress for them. We were able to get matching shoes for them to wear. After much searching, we finally found my wedding dress. It was a soft ivory silk strapless dress that started to flare out under my bust line. It fell to my knees. It was perfect. I found a pair of Ivory heels to match the dress and a ivory silk scarf for my head.

I spent Sunday at home with Edward. We spent the whole day on my bed studying for our finals. I wasn't worried about them at all. I was more concerned with my speech. I kept feeling like something was missing but I couldn't figure it out. The next week were all half days because of finals. Monday, during chemo Carlisle took more blood. He wanted to check to see if the treatments were working still. I finished all my finals on Thursday, so Friday morning I went to music classroom to wait for Edward to be done. I wasn't having my chemo today since graduation was tonight. I would have it Saturday morning instead.

We were about half way through the morning when Peter came running into the music class and told me that I had to go down to Eleazar's office. He had a really worried look on his face so I jumped up and ran down to the office. I ran in and found Edward, Renee, Esme waiting for me.

"What's wrong?" I panicked.

"We don't know. Carlisle called and told us to come get you both and bring you into the office as soon as possible." screeched Esme as they started pushing us out of the door.

"He didn't say anything about why?" I said loudly as we ran out to Edward's car.

"No, just hurry. We will meet you there?" snapped Renee.

Edward and I jumped into this car and peeled out of the parking lot. Edward sped off to the hospital. His knuckles were white from the grip he had on the steering wheel. I reached over and pulled one of his hands into mine. I felt him relax immediately. We pulled into the parking spot next to Renee and Esme. The four of us ran in and found Charlie waiting at the elevators for us. No one said anything as we stepped in and let the doors close. Edward wrapped his arms around me and held me as we went up. The doors opened and we went up to the receptionist. She just told us to go straight back to Carlisle's office. We pulled open the door and ran back to his office. We busted in and I couldn't hold it in any longer.

"WHAT'S WRONG?" I screamed. Carlisle came over and grabbed my hands in his and took a deep breath. He was struggling to stop the tears in his eyes from falling.

"Sweetheart, you're in remission." He whispered as a tear fell from his eye. Everyone gasp behind me.


	55. Chapter 55

"Are you sure?" I whispered as my tears fell.

"Yes I am." he said.

"Oh my god. Thank you." I said as I fell to my knees.

Edward went with me and pulled me into his arms. I could feel his shoulders shaking as we cried together. Only this time we were crying over good news instead of bad news. After several minutes, I pulled back and saw Charlie and Renee crying into ach other. I stood up and pulled them both into my arms. I felt new tears falling as I celebrated with my parents.

"I…love…you…both." I cried. "Thank…you….for ….never giving…up."

"We love you to, baby." cried Renee and Charlie. I went over and gave Esme and Carlisle a hug also. They both had done so much for me in the last two months.

"Thank you for treating me, Carlisle. You saved my life." I whispered.

"Oh, Bella, it is you who saved us." he whispered as a tear fell from his eye.

Carlisle explained that I would still have to come in once a month to get tested. He said once we go to Dartmouth, he will fly out once a month to take my blood. Carlisle said he had closed his office for the rest of the day. He wanted to take us all out to lunch. I asked him if we could call Emmett, Jasper, Rose, Alice, Angela, and Ben, and invite them with us. He said of course we could. We called them and told them we had something to tell them. They were going to meet us at La Bella in one hour. I told our parents that we would meet them at the restaurant. Edward and I had a stop to make first.

Edward and I left and I told him where I wanted to go. He kissed me softly and headed that way. We pulled up in front of the law offices and went up to the 5th floor. We gave the receptionist the message to give James and Victoria. They needed to know that I won just like Garrett did. We sat down and a few minutes later, James and Victoria came running into the waiting room. They pulled me and Edward into an empty conference room and turned to look at us.

"What is going on?" demanded James.

"I'm in remission." I whispered softly as a tear fell from my eye. "We did it."

"Are…you…serious?" cried Victoria.

"Yes, I am." I whispered. James and Victoria pulled Edward and I into their arms and we cried together.

"We are so proud of you, Bella. Garrett would be to." whispered James.

"I couldn't have done it without him or you. Thank you for encouraging me to keep fighting." I whispered softly.

"We love you both so much." said Victoria. "Thank you for this gift."

"We love you to." said Edward.

We chatted for a few more minutes before James and Victoria had to go back to work. Edward and I left hand in hand. It was perfect. I knew it was going to be a hard to rebuild my strength. My body had been through so much trauma over the lat few months but I had beat the odds. I was a survivor now. We got back into the car and made our way to the restaurant. Everyone was already waiting for us at a large table in the back. They were badgering Charlie, Carlisle, Esme and Renee. As soon as they saw us they stopped and turned to look at us. Edward and I sat down and started looking at the menu.

"We already ordered for you." snapped Emmett. "Tell us what is going on."

"What did you get me?" I asked innocently.

"What? Oh, I ordered you the mushroom ravioli. We got Edward the lasagna. Now tell us." he explained sharply.

"Fine, just calm down." I said softly. I grabbed Edward's hand and took a deep breath. I could already feel the tears falling down my face. "I am in remission."

"Seriously." they all whispered.

"Yes, we did it." I whispered.

"OH MY GOD" screamed Alice, Rose and Angela.

They ran over and grabbed me into a big hug. We cried on each others shoulders. I felt Jasper and Ben come over and wrap their arms around me to. I looked over and saw Emmett with his face in his hands. He shoulders were shaking as he sobbed. I broke away from the group and went and kneeled next to him and wrapped my arms around him.

"I'm…so…happy…for….you…sister." he choked out.

"I couldn't have done it without you, brother. The first day back to school after Garrett and Kate died, I was ready to quit. But you told me it was time to go take my pill. You said I had to keep going. I love you, brother." I whispered softly.

I heard Jasper clear his throat and I turned to look at him. He was holding his drink up. We all followed his example. He took a deep breathe and looked me in the eye.

"To Bella, who showed us how to fight, to live, and to love. We owe her so much for everything she has given to us. She fought hard to beat the disease that was holding her down. She is an inspiration to us all." He said as a tear fell from his eye.

"To Bella." everyone said at the same time.

We spent the next two hours celebrating together as a family. We laughed so hard that we cried. We teased and joked. We were a family. We fought to overcome everything that was thrown before us. We eventually decided it was time to leave. Edward and I went back to my house and laid in my bed for awhile. We didn't need to talk, we just needed to be with each other.

At 5:30, Edward went home to get ready for graduation tonight. I took a quick shower and pulled on my blue strapless wrap dress and blue heels. I added a blue scarf to my head. I smiled to myself when I realized that soon my hair would start growing back. I was chuckling to myself as I made my way downstairs. Charlie and Renee started snapping pictures as soon as I stepped off the last step.

"I keep thinking this is a dream." I chuckled.

"What? Graduating or being in remission?" asked Charlie.

"Both but mostly being in remission."

"Us to, baby. It was so hard watching you suffer for months knowing we couldn't help." said Renee.

"You did help." I whispered as we walked out of the house. I stopped and turned to look at them. "If you both hadn't convinced me to move to Forks. I wouldn't have meet Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Alice, Rose, Jasper, Ben, Angela, I wouldn't have met Garrett or Kate. I would never have found Edward. I would never have been able to make it over the last two months without them or you."

"Lets just be thankful our nightmare is finally over." said Charlie.

We climbed into the car and headed off to the school. The parking lot was full when we got there but we were able to get a decent parking spot next to Edward's Volvo. We went in and I hugged my parents good bye and made my way back stage to the others. I quickly found Edward and kissed him hard. After a few minutes, I was pulled into the front of the line so we could get ready to start the ceremony. The music started and I took a deep breathe as I lead my fellow graduates to our seats on the stage.

We sat on the stage and listened to Eleazar give out a few awards, including the scholarships Edward and I had earn in Seattle. It was finally time for me to give my speech. I took a deep breath and gave Edward as big smile. I went and walked up to the podium and looked at out at the crowd.

"For the past week, I have really struggled about what I should say today. Most people talk about the going out and facing what ever the world throws at you. But that didn't seem right to me. When I first moved here to Forks, I will admit, I wasn't happy about it. I thought I was leaving my home, my life behind me. I was resentful about having to deal with my failing health, a new town, all in the middle of my senior year. But from the moment my parents and I stepped into this town, we were made to feel welcomed and at home. We found the family we didn't realize we had been missing. I found it difficult to open up to my new friends until I met Garrett. He convinced me that I had to let them in. I had to let them love me. It was hard but I did. The last few months, we as a class, have been through a lot. We all came together when Garrett and I told you about being sick. We all came together when Garrett and Kate were taken from us to soon. We have grieved together and tried to heal together. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for the love and support you have given me and my parents since our move here. I couldn't have survived the last few months without you all. Five months ago I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. This morning I was told that I am now in remission."


	56. Chapter 56

For a split second, everyone was completely quiet. Then there were gasps being heard through out the entire auditorium. Everyone on the stage started jumping up on their feet and cheering for me as I turned and went back to me seat. I felt dozens of arms wrapping around me. Eventually everyone settle down and Eleazar began calling out our names. When he got to my name, he whispered to me how proud he was of me. I thanked him and made my way to the rest of our class. As soon as everyone had gotten their diplomas, we all threw our hats in the air.

I was making my way off the stage when I felt Edward sweep me into his arms. I pressed my lips to his as I kissed him hard. This was the happiest moment of my life. I heard several people come over and congratulated me for going in remission but I was lost in Edward. Eventually he put me back on my feet. He led me through the crowd to where our friends and families were waiting. William, Catherine, Robert, Ann, John and Elisabeth all wrapped their arms around me and told me how proud they are of me. I couldn't speak. I was overcome with emotion as I felt their love for me pouring out of them. I knew I was lucky to have them in my life. They loved me as if I was their own. I knew that when we left to go to Dartmouth they would be there for Charlie and Renee. Carlisle, Esme, William, Catherine, Robert, Ann, John, Elisabeth, James and Victoria along with Charlie and Renee were just as much of a family as Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Ben, Angela, Edward and I were. I knew that Kate and Garrett were watching us today. I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Peter and Charlotte standing behind me. I threw my arms around Peter and once again let my tears fall.

"I am so proud of you, Bella." whispered Peter.

"Thank you. I couldn't have gotten through the last few months without you." I said as I pulled away.

"Congratulations, Bella." said Charlotte.

"Thank you, Charlotte." I said softly as I wiped my tears.

I spent the next hour being hugged and squeezed by my classmates. In a small way they all had been instrumental in my recovery. It may have been just a little thing like a friendly smile or it may have been rubbing my back while I threw up for hours. Together we came were overcome our differences. We were finally able to make our way over to the Cullen's house. Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Ben, Angela, Edward and I, along with our parents, Peter, Charlotte, Eleazar, Carmen, James and Victoria celebrated our graduation. I knew this was bittersweet for James and Victoria. Garrett and Kate should have been here to celebrate with us. After a few hours, I was exhausted so Edward took me home. After I changed into my pajamas, he wrapped his arms around me and held me while I slept. I fell into a peaceful, restful sleep wrapped in the arms of my beloved.

I woke up a few hours later to Edward kissing the back of my neck. I rolled over and pressed my lips to his. I pulled away and looked at him. He had the biggest smile on his face.

"What is that smile for?" I asked.

"Just thinking how happy I am that you are healthy." chuckled Edward.

"God, me to." I chuckled. "It was really hard to keep fighting."

"I know it was." whispered Edward. "But now we can concentrate on just getting married next week."

"I can't wait to become your wife." I said as I kissed him.

"I can't either." chuckled Edward.

"Edward, will you go somewhere with me?" I asked.

"Of course, I will." said Edward. "Where do you want to go?"

"I want to go see Garrett and Kate. I would like you and the others to go with me."

"I'll call Alice and have her get everyone together. Why don't you go take a shower?"

"Ok, I love you." I said as I kissed gently.

I got up and went into the bathroom and started the shower. I stripped off my pajamas and stepped into the shower. The hot water felt great on my sore muscles. I quickly washed my body and dried off. I went back out and could hear Edward in Kate's shower. I slipped on my jeans and tank top. I wrapped a scarf around my head and went downstairs. Charlie and Renee were in the kitchen making breakfast.

"Morning." I said as I hugged them both.

"Morning, Baby. Where's Edward?" asked Renee.

"He is taking a shower in Kate's bathroom." I said as I sat down at the table. "We are going to go see Garrett and Kate after breakfast."

"That will be good for you." said Charlie.

"Dad, I know that I haven't had a chance to talk to you about this but I wanted to ask if you will give me away on Saturday?" I whispered.

"Nope." whispered Charlie. I looked up at him confused. "I will walk you down the isle and let Edward marry you but you will always be my little girl."

"I love you to, Daddy." I whispered as I hugged him.

"Charlie, I promise to always take care of Bella. I love her more than I thought I could ever love anyone." said Edward from the doorway.

"I know you do, son." said Charlie.

We enjoyed a nice breakfast together. It was nice to have this time with my parents. I felt like I was free for the first time in months. After we ate breakfast, we hugged them and went to meet the others. They were waiting for us at Edward's. We climbed into our cars and made our way down to the cemetery. We didn't say anything as we climbed out of the car and made our way to the willow tree. I could feel my tears pouring down my face as we stopped in front of them. I kneeled down and felt the others kneel down next to me.

"Garrett, Kate, we did it. I couldn't have made it without you both. You gave me the strength to let them in and let them love me. After you died, I was ready to give up. I really struggled to find the strength to keep going but I knew I had to do it for you. I love you both so much. I know that you are happy and healthy together." I whispered softly.

"Garret, Kate, we miss you so much. I promise to take care of Bella forever. Thank you for telling her to let me love her." whispered Edward.

"Garrett, Kate, thank you for showing us what real love looks like. We miss you and love you so much." whispered Alice.

"Thanks you both for teaching us to live for today." whispered Ben.

"Thank you both for letting us love you." whispered Angela.

"Thank you both for never giving up on us. We will always love you both." whispered Jasper.

"Thank you both for letting your love shine." whispered Rose.

"Thank you, Garrett and Kate, for loving us and helping us to understand that we needed each other. You made us a family." whispered Emmett.


	57. Chapter 57

The following five days were incredibility busy. Edward and I spent all day Sunday in bed. The past two days had been emotionally draining. I was exhausted but at the same time I had never felt more alive. Monday, Edward and I met with Robert to talk about our ceremony. We told him that we wanted to write our own vows. We were going to get married at 6pm. The sun would just be setting. It would be beautiful. After our meeting with Robert, we went and applied for our marriage license.

Tuesday was spent making last minute alterations to my dress and Alice, Rose, and Angela's dresses. Esme and Renee were refusing to tell us what their dresses looked like. I think they were just trying to piss Alice and Rose off. Edward and I went shopping in Seattle on Wednesday. We bought our gifts to Emmett, Jasper, Ben, Rose, Alice and Angela. I also managed to buy something special for Edward. We also got gifts for our parents.

Thursday, Alice, Rose, Angela, Renee, Esme, Victoria, Catherine, Elizabeth, Carmen, Ann, Charlotte, and I spent the day at the spa. It was lovely. I got a bikini and Brazilian wax, a full body massage and a full body skin treatment. I haven't felt so relaxed in a long time. I also got a manicure and a pedicure. Friday morning I got my bags packed for our trip to New Hampshire. Edward and I were going to try to find an apartment to rent. It wasn't much of a honeymoon but we didn't have much time to plan more than that.

Edward and I were going out to dinner with Carlisle, Esme, Charlie and Renee Friday evening. We were meeting them for dinner at La Bella's. I took a quick shower and pulled on a little black dress and a pair of black heels. I chuckled softly as I rubbed the peach fuzz that was starting to grow back on my head before I put on a black silk scarp. I heard the door bell ring so I ran downstairs and pulled the door open. I felt my mouth fall open when I found Edward wearing his black dress pants and black dress shirt. The man was trying to kill me, I swear.

"See something you like, Swan?" chuckled Edward as he pulled me into his arms.

"No, I see the sexiest man I have ever seen." I smirked before I kissed him. "You will only be able to call me Swan for 22 more hours."

"I can't wait." he murmured as he pressed his lips against mine. He reached down and grabbed my ass.

"Edward…" I moaned. "We are going to be late if you don't stop."

"I don't care." he whispered against my neck.

He pressed me against the door. I could feel his erection pressing against my leg. I ground my hips against him causing him to moan. I reached down and pulled at his belt. I quickly undid it and popped the button on his pants. I lowered the zipper and pushed his pants and boxers down in once swift move. I reached down and stroked him a few times. He slid his hand up my thigh and pulled my black lace hipsters down my legs. I stepped out of them.

Edward lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He kissed me hard as he thrust his cock into me hard. I moaned into his mouth. He pulled back nearly completely out before he pushed into me again. I could feel every inch of him inside me. It was nice not having to worry about condoms now that I was on the pill. I loved feeling him inside of me. It was the best feeling ever. His thrusts became faster and harder as I felt my stomach tensing. I plunged my tongue into his mouth as we came together hard. I laid my head on his shoulder as we tried to catch our breathes.

"That was worth being a few minutes late." I chuckled as I unwrapped my legs.

"Yes, it was." chuckled Edward as he set me down on my feet.

"We had better get going before they come looking for us." I chuckled as I slipped my panties back on.

"If we must." sighed Edward as he pulled him pants back up. I ogled him as he got everything buttoned and zipped. "That look is not helping us get to dinner, love."

"It's not my fault you are so fucking hot." I purred softly.

"Let's go, nympho." chuckled Edward sweeping me into his arms.

I just chuckled as I pulled the door closed behind us. He carried me out to his car and set me in the passengers side. He kissed me before he shut the door behind him. He ran around to the drivers side and got in. We speed a little bit on our way to the restaurant. We were nearly ten minutes late for dinner. We parked and quickly made our way inside. We approached the hostess and I bit back a chuckled. It was the same girl form when we were here with Garrett. She just stared at Edward. I cleared my throat to her attention. She shook her head slightly and looked over at me.

"My fiancé and I are meeting Dr. Cullen and his party." I said as politely as I could.

"Oh, yes, of course. Please follow me." she said as she blushed. I could feel Edward chuckle as he wrapped his arm around me waist and we followed her to where our parents were glaring at us for be late. "Please enjoy your meal."

"Thank you." I chuckled as Edward pulled out my seat fore me. I looked back at our parent's, who were still glaring at us. "Sorry we're late."

"Traffic was bad." mumbled Edward as he sat down next to me.

"Sure it was." chuckled Carlisle. "Edward, you have a little of Bella's lipstick on your cheek."

"Oh, thanks." He muttered as he wiped it off. I could feel my face blush as I looked down at the menu.

"What do I want to eat?" I chuckled.

"Bella, why are you so red in the face?" smirked Charlie.

"Am I?" I asked as I looked at the menu.

"Yes, you are, sweetheart. Did he do that thing with his tongue again?" chuckled Esme.

"ESME." I gasped loudly. I looked over at Charlie and Renee who both had their mouths hanging wide open and were very red in the face. "Can we please talk about something else?"

"Welcome To La Bella. I'm Mike and I will be you server. What can I get you to drink?" he said looking down at his paper. He finally looked up and saw us sitting there. "Bella, Edward! Are you guys ready to get married?"

"Yes, we are. I hear wedding bells are in yours and Jessica's future also." I said softly.

"Yes, we are planning on getting married over Christmas break." he said as he blushed.

"That's great, Mike. Congratulations." said Edward standing up to shake his hand.

"Thanks, Edward. I just hope we are as happy as you and Bella are." said Mike.

"I'm sure you will be." I said softly.

We gave Mike our drink and food order. We spent a few minutes talking about the wedding tomorrow. Alice, Rose and Angela had refused to me and Edward help with the decorating. They said they wanted it to be surprise for us. Mike brought our food out and we ate quickly. We had just finished when I cleared my throat to get their attention. They all looked up as me and I could feel the tears in my eyes.

"Edward and I would like to take this moment when we are alone to thank you all for your support. I couldn't have survived the last few months without him and I know that it was hard for you all to see us start our relationship with so many struggles. We love you all so much. We wanted to get you something to show you how much we love you." I said as I handed them their gifts. They all just looked at us for a moment before they opened their gifts. They pulled off the lids and gasp as they looked up at us.

"This is to much." whispered Esme.

"Esme, it's not nearly enough to repay you all for what you have done for us." I whispered as I pulled out the broach that we had made with mine, Edward, Emmett, Alice, Jaspers, Rose, Ben, Angela, Garrett and Kate birthstones arranged in a small heart.

"Bella, it's beautiful." whispered Renee as she looked at her broach. I pointed out the last two.

"These are Garrett's and Kate's. They love you just as much as we do." I whispered as a tear fell from my eye.

"Bella?" whispered Carlisle as he looked at his gift. He pulled out a pocket watch that we had our birthstones places on. "It's beautiful."

"I can't ever repay you for what you have given me, Carlisle. I'm not just talking about the chemo. You gave me the strength to fight and let Edward in. I love you so much." I whispered softly.

"I love you to, Bella." he whispered. I looked over at Charlie who had tears running down his face as he looked at his gift.

"Daddy?" I whispered grabbing his hand.

"It's beautiful, Baby." he whispered as he pulled out his pocket watch.

"Open it." I whispered. He popped it open and let a soft sob escape as he read want I had inscribed on the inside.

"What does it say?" asked Renee.

"It says I'll always be your little girl." he whispered through his tears. He pulled me into his arms. "Always, Bella, always."


	58. Chapter 58

We paid our bill and went home. I kissed Edward goodbye at my front door and went upstairs. I pulled out my cello and began playing. I played for all the happiness that I had right now. I was healthy again. I was slowly getting my strength back. I was fixing to marry the love of my life. It couldn't get better than this. As I stopped playing, I looked over and saw Edward watching me from his room. I blew him a kiss and closed my curtains. I changed into my pajamas and climbed into my bed. I fell asleep knowing that by this time tomorrow, I would be Mrs. Isabella Cullen.

I woke up just after ten the next morning. I took a long hot shower. It felt good to let the hot water run over my skin. The water started turning cold so I climbed out and dried off. I pulled on a tank top and a pair of shorts. I went downstairs to find Esme, Alice, Rose, Angela, Renee, Victoria, Charlotte, Carmen, Elizabeth, Ann, and Catherine sitting in the living room. They were giggling as they fixed each others hair.

"There's the sleepy bride." chuckled Esme.

"What has you so tired, Bella?" smirked Renee. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Nothing." I chuckled. "You know, just rebuilding my strength."

"From the way you pulled Edward in here last night, I am sure you need to rebuild your strength." smirked Alice. I could feel my face heat up as everyone turned to look at me.

"We were just talking." I said softly.

"Whatever." they all smirked together. I just rolled my eyes at them.

"Let's go, Bella. Time to get you ready for the wedding." chuckled Alice as she, Rose and Angela grabbed my arms and started pulling me to the stairs.

"Ok, I can walk." I chuckled. They let go of my arms and we made our way upstairs to my room. We shut the door and they pulled me into the bathroom. They set me down on a small stool and began rubbing some lotions on my legs. I looked into the mirror and saw something shiny on all three of their lefts hands. "Is there something you three need to tell me or am I going to have to call your mother's up here?"

"What?" asked Angela. They all looked confused. I pointed to their left hands. "Oh."

"Oh?" I asked. "Tell me!"

"Ben asked me to marry him last night. He took me to Port Angeles. We were talking on the pier when he stopped and got down on one knee and asked me. I said yes. He slipped the ring on my finger and I kissed him." whispered Angela.

"Awe." we all whispered softly.

"Jasper picked me up last night and took me down to first beach in La Push. He had a table set up on the beach with food from La Portia's is Port Angles. It's where he took me for our first date. We sat and ate while talking about our plans for the future. After we ate, he turned on some music and we danced under the moonlight. He kissed me softly before he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I said yes. He slipped the ring on my finger and we started dancing again as he kissed me." whispered Alice.

"Awe" we whispered again.

"Emmett took me down to the river. It's our spot. He had a blanket laid out on the ground. He started a fire. He feed me chocolate covered strawberries and grapes. He pulled me up to my feet and he pulled me into his arms. We danced to the sounds of our hearts beating. He kissed me and got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I said yes. He slipped the ring on my finger and I fell to my knees and kissed him." whispered Rose.

"Awe." we whispered again.

"Have you decide when you want to get married?" I asked.

"Ben and I are going to wait a couple years. We are planning on getting an apartment together at Dartmouth. We just want to save up and have a big wedding." said Angela.

"Jasper and I are thinking about getting married next spring." said Alice. "We haven't really decided for sure but we are thinking late April."

"Emmett and I are thinking about getting married in a year." said Rose.

"I am so happy for you all." I whispered.

We spent the next several hours playing Bella Barbie. I enjoyed every minute of being pampered. I knew that when their times come that I will be able to do this for them. It was nearly five when they finally putting my make-up on. They refused to let me look before I had my dress on but I needed to give them their gifts first. We went out and sat on my bed. I pulled the gifts out and took a deep breathe.

"I am going to try to do this without crying. When I first moved to Forks, it was really hard for me to let you guys in. I wanted to so badly but I was an only child and the few friends that I had in Phoenix abandoned me when I needed them. You guys never left me. I love you so much. I couldn't ask for better sisters." I whispered as my eyes filled with tears. I handed them their gifts. They pulled the lids off and looked up at me. "I had these rings made for each of us. No matter where we are. No matter what happens to us. We are sisters forever."

"Forever." whispered Rose as she slipped on her silver ring onto her right hand.

"Forever." whispered Angela as she slipped on her ring.

"Sister's forever." whispered Alice as she put on her ring. "We love you to Bella. Now let's get your dress on."

"Ok." I chuckled.

Alice and Rose helped me pull off my tank top so that I didn't mess up my make-up. I slipped my shorts off. I pulled on my ivory lace hipsters and ivory corset. They helped me slip my dress over my head and zipped it up in the back. I slipped on my heels while Alice put on my ivory scarf. She pulled the door to my closets open so that I could see myself. I gasp at how beautiful I looked. I had gained a little weight back. I had rosy cheeks bright eyes.

"You look beautiful, Baby." whispered Renee. We looked over and saw her and Charlie standing in the doorway. They both had a tear running down their faces. "Can we have a moment alone with Bella?"

"Ok course. We need to get our dresses on." said Alice.

They picked up their dresses and went to Kate's room to change. Charlie and Renee came over and pulled me onto the bed with them. They handed me an envelope and a small black box.

"What's this?" I whispered.

"Open them." chuckled Charlie. I opened the envelope first. I pulled out the contents and gasp. I looked up at them.

"What the fuck is this?" I asked.

"Bella, this is your inheritance from your grandmother Swan. It was to be given to you on the day of your wedding." explained Renee. "About a month after you were born, she called me. She said she had a dream about you getting married. She said the young man you were marrying was your soul mate. She described him to me. She said he would have auburn hair and the greenest eyes she had ever seen. I didn't think much about it then, of course. But she when she passed, her will said that we should give you your inheritance on the day of your wedding."

"Wow, but all of this is mine?" I asked. I looked down at the check in my hands. "It's to much."

"Baby, that is only part of it. We set the rest up in an account for you. It had done quite well. Right now, it has about ten times the amount of the check in your hand." chuckled Charlie.

"No fucking way." I said as I shook my head softly. "Really?"

"Yes, Bella." chuckled Renee. "Now open your other gift. This is from your grandmother also."

I pulled the paper off the box and pulled out a small black velvet box. I slowly opened the lid. Nestled inside the box was my grandfather's wedding band. I looked up at them with tears in my eyes.

"She wanted you to give this to Edward." whispered Charlie. "She instructed us to make sure he had her ring to give to you."

"Thank you both ." I whispered.

"Bella, we are extremely happy for you and Edward." said Renee. Just then someone knocked on the door.

"Come in." I said softly. Alice pushed open the door.

"Bella, it's time." she said with a gentle smile.

"Ok." I whispered. "We'll be right down."

"Ok." she whispered. I put the envelope in my bags that we were talking with us. There was no was Edward would believe me without the proof. I turned and looked at my parents.

"I'm ready." I whispered.

"We are to." they whispered together.


	59. Chapter 59

We slowly made our way downstairs and out the back door of the house following Alice, Rose and Angela. Just as we walked out of the back gate, I felt my eyes fill up with tears. The path to the meadow had been lit up with small lanterns. The trees had white rope lights wrapped around them. A few minutes later, the music started. Alice gave me a soft smile before she made her way up the isle. Angela and Rose followed her slowly. Renee gave me a hug and went to take her seat. The music changed and the wedding march began. Charlie squeezed my arm softly as we began to make our way down the isle. Edward stepped up and I let a tear fall. He looked amazing in his khaki pants and white dress shirt. He looked up and saw me. His face broke out in the biggest smile. I saw all of our friends and family standing around us holding candles. Charlie led me to Edward. He let out a soft sob as he placed my hand into Edward's and stepped back. We turned to look at Robert who had tears in his eyes.

"We are gathered here today to bless the marriage between Isabella and Edward. The love that these two share not only with each other but with their entire family is a love that is ageless. They have chosen to stand before their family today and complete the union that will bind them together for all of eternity. Isabella and Edward have chosen to write their own vows."

"Edward, from the moment I saw you, I was pulled to you. You are my reason for living and for loving. You are not only my lover but my best friend. I promise to love you and cherish you for all of eternity."

"Isabella, the first time I saw you was the day I truly began to live. You are my reason for living and for loving. You are not only my lover but my best friend. I promise to love you and cherish you for all of eternity."

"Isabella Marie Swan, do you take Edward Anthony Cullen to be your husband, in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, for all of eternity?" asked Robert.

"I do." I said as a tear fell from my eye.

"Edward Anthony Cullen, do you take Isabella Marie Swan to be your wife, in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, for all of eternity?"

"I do." said Edward as a tear fell from his eye.

"May we have the rings, please?" asked Robert. I turned and Alice handed my Edward's ring. I looked back at my love and smiled. "These rings are a symbol of your love and commitment to each other. Just like your love, they are unbroken and never changing. Isabella, please repeat after me. I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment."

"I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment." I said as I slipped Edward's ring on his left hand.

"Edward, please repeat after me. I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment."

"I give you this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment." said Edward as he slipped my wedding ring next to my engagement ring. Edward and I pulled the two balloons off the arch behind us and turned to look at our loved ones.

"We would like to take a moment to honor Garrett and Kate. They inspired us to love each other and all of you. We send these balloons to them today so they can be apart of our day." I said through my tears.

"Garrett and Kate, we love you." said Edward. We released our balloons and watched them float to the heavens. We turned and faced Robert again.

"By the power invested in me, by the state of Washington, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride." said Robert. Edward gently pulled my face his and pressed his lips against mine. We turned and faced our friends, who were smiling at us all. "I now present to you for the first time, Edward and Isabella Cullen."

The music started again and Edward and I made our back down the isle as husband and wife. Alice and Jaspers followed us. Angela and Ben came next followed by Rose and Emmett. Our families followed us out. We followed them back to the Cullen's house. We spent the next few hours celebrating with our families. We followed all the old traditions of feeding each other cake. We even crossed our arms and drank a glass of champagne. We had our first dance, followed by me dancing awkwardly with Charlie. I danced with Emmett, Jasper, Ben, James, Robert, Peter, Eleazar, John and William. I had just danced with William when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and saw Carlisle standing behind me.

"May I dance with my new daughter?" He asked.

"Yes, Dad, you can." I chuckled as I placed my hand in his. He pulled me into his arms and we started moving around the dance floor.

"Bella, I can't express how happy I am for you and Edward. I know that you think he saved you but you saved him, sweetheart. Now, I love my son but honestly he was a prick before he met you. He wasn't mean to people but he didn't much care about anything but his music. I was really worried about him. The day we met you, I saw a change in Edward. He has turned into a good man because of you. I just wanted to thank you for loving him." whispered Carlisle.

"He did so much for me when I was ready to give up. The night I came over for the sleepover, I had been sick all night. I had fallen asleep during the movie but woke after just a few hours. I went up to get my sketch book when I heard the most amazing music. I followed it to Edward's room. He is incredibly gifted. He heard me crying and he pulled me into his arms and I felt so safe. I felt my stomach turn again. He came in and helped me. He held me as I cried from the pain. I fell in love with him that night. He never treated me like I was the freaky sick girl. He treats me like I am the only person in the room." I whispered.

"That's because to me, you are the only person in the room." whispered Edward from behind me. I turned around and he pulled me into his arms and kissed me softly. "I see your beauty in everything I see. Every where I look I see you breathtaking smile, your deep chocolate brown eyes. I feel the tingle when your hand touches mine. I fall in love with you even more than I was the second before."

"AWE." sighed all the women in the room.

"Crap." snapped all the men. We turned to see all the women glaring at their husbands. We both chuckled softly to each other.

"Edward, dude, you have to teach us how to say all that romantic crap." snapped Emmett.

"Em, just look into Rose's eyes. You already know what you want to say." I chuckled. Emmett turned and looked at Rose who was glaring at him.

"Rose, I love you more everyday. You are so incredibly beautiful, sexy, smart. You make me want to be a better man." whispered Emmett as he pulled Rose into his arms.

"I love you, Em." she sighed as she kissed him. We stood there and listened to everyone whispering to their loved ones how much they loved each other. It was sweet to see them together.

"Bella, it's time to go." whispered Edward. I looked up into his eyes.

"Ok." I whispered.

"Bella and I would like to thank you all for coming tonight. We love you all so much. You support means more to us than you will ever know." said Edward as a tear fell from his eye.

"We are lucky to have a family like you all." I said softly.

Everyone made their way outside so they could send us off. Edward pulled me into his arms and kissed me before he led me outside. Instead of the birdseed, they were blowing bubbles. I hugged Charlie and Renee before I climbed into the Volvo. Edward closed the door behind me and ran around to the drivers side. He leaned over and kissed me before he started the car and we drove off.

We drove to Seattle so we could catch our flight to New Hampshire in the morning. We pulled up to the hotel that we were staying at tonight and parked. Edward pulled our bags from the trunk and came around to open my door. He helped me out and wrapped his arm around my waist and led me inside. I went and sat on one of the couches while Edward checked us in. A few minutes later he came back over and pulled me to my feet. He led me into the elevator and up to the third floor. He opened the door to our room and set our suitcases down. He gave me a crooked smile as he swept me up into his arms and carried me into the room. I pressed my lips to his just as he set me on my feet. He ran back out and grabbed our bags. He set them down next to the dresser and turned to look at me. He had a lustful look on his face.

"Edward, I have something for you." I whispered. I pulled out a small box from my suitcase. I handed it to him. He ripped the paper off and opened it. He pulled of the lid and looked up at me.

"It's beautiful." he whispered as he pulled out the watch I had bought him.

"Look on the back." I whispered. He turned it over and I saw a tear fall from his eye. "You are the keeper of my heart and soul."

"As you are mine, love." He whispered as he set the watch down on the table.

* * *

**Three more chapiters to go......Thanks for all the reviews and support:)**


	60. Chapter 60

He came over to me and kissed me hard, plunging his tongue into my mouth as he grabbed my ass. I moaned and brought my hands up and ripped his shirt open. I pushed it off his shoulders and tossed it on the floor. Edward lowered the zipper on my dress and let it fall to the floor at my feet. He pulled back and looked at my body.

"Fucking beautiful." he murmured.

I quickly undid his pants and pushed them and his boxers off. He was hard and ready for me. I fell to my knees and took him into my mouth. I would never get tired of the taste of his cock in my mouth. Edward moaned and put his hand on the back of my head as he guided my head on his cock. I could tell that he wasn't going to last long so I increased my pace and relaxed my throat and let him go deeper.

"Fuck" He moaned as he spilled his cum into my mouth.

He pulled me up and kissed me hard. He ripped my panties and corset off and tossed them on the floor. He lifted me up in his arms and laid me down on the bed. He kissed me again then kissed his way down my body to my wet pussy. He gave me his crooked smile before he lowered his head and ran his tongue on me. I buckled my hips slightly.

"Fuck, Edward, feels so good." I moaned.

He slipped in two fingers as he moved his mouth to my clit. He thrust his fingers into me hard and fast. I could feel the tension starting to build in my stomach. Edward slipped another finger into me and I felt myself come undone.

"FUCK." I screamed as I came hard. Edward kissed his way up my body and kissed me hard as he positioned himself between my legs.

"I love you, Mrs. Cullen." he whispered as he pushed into me.

"As I love you, Mr. Cullen." I moaned as he filled me.

He started thrusting in and out of me slowly. He kept his eyes locked on mine as he made love to me for the first time as his wife. We didn't have to worry about anyone else at this moment. From this moment on we would be as one. I pulled Edward's lips to mine and kissed him softly as we came together. He rolled off of me and pulled me into his arms. I laid my head on his chest and fell asleep in the arms of my husband.

I woke up feeling my husband's arms wrapped around my naked body. My husband. I worried after I got sick that I would never get married. Here I am married to the love of my life. My reason for fighting. I turned slightly and felt his lips start moving down my neck. I reached around and pulled his lips to mine.

"Good morning, husband." I mumbled.

"Good morning, wife." chuckled Edward. "You talked in your sleep again."

"Oh god, what did I say this time?" I asked horrified.

"You said you love me." He whispered.

"You already knew that." I said against his lips.

"It's still nice to hear." he whispered against my lips. "I love you, Bella."

"As I love you, Edward." I said as I kissed him hard. I could feel his erection pressing into my stomach.

I pushed Edward on his back and climbed over into his lap. I slid my self down on his erection slowly. I began to move my hips. I pulled Edward up to me and kissed him hard. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he grabbed my ass to pull me closer to him. Edward lower his lips to my nipples and bit down lightly on it causing me to moan loudly. I raked my nails lightly on his back. I felt him shutter and start thrusting harder. I needed more.

"Edward, harder, please fuck me hard." I begged as I felt my orgasm coming.

Edward flipped us so the he was standing at the edge of the bed while I was laying on my back. He put his hands on my hips and started thrusting harder and faster than he did last night. We weren't making love this morning. We were simply fucking. I couldn't get enough of my new husband. I felt my body shake as I was hit by my orgasm.

"FUCK ….EDWARD….I LOVE YOU." I screamed loudly.

"Bella, please let me cum, I need to cum now." he begged as he continued to thrust in me.

"Cum for me, Edward." I whispered as I pulled him down and kissed him.

Edward pushed into me a few more times before I felt him spill into me. He laid down next to me and pulled me into his arms.

"I love you, Bella."

"I love you, Edward." I said as I kissed his lips. "We had better take a shower. We have a flight to catch."

"Let's go get clean, love." chuckled Edward as he jumped off the bed and swept me into his arms and carried me into the bathroom.

Once we were in the bathroom, he started the water and helped me step in. I felt him step in behind me and gently start washing my body. I could feel his cock harden against me as his hands roamed my body. I turned around and kissed him hard before I dropped to my knees and took his cock in my mouth. Edward inhaled sharply when I took him in. I began to move my mouth up and down his cock. I couldn't fit him all the way in my mouth so I used my hand to stroke the base of his cock.

"Fuck, Bella…..your mouth…..so good." moaned Edward as he placed one of his hands on my head.

I used my tongue to massage his head and shaft. I lightly raked my teeth along his shaft and pulled him in and out fast. I could feel him started to tense up as I continued to pull him in and out of my mouth. I simply moaned lightly. I felt his body shutter as he came in my mouth. I sucked and swallowed every drop. It tasted salty and sweet. I don't think I could ever get enough of it. Edward pulled me up and kissed me hard. He pushed me against the wall and I felt him fall to his knees. He lifted my legs over his shoulders and lowered his mouth onto my wet core. Edward plunged his tongue into me over and over. I reached down and grabbed the back of his head. Edward replaced his tongue with two fingers. He moved his lips to my throbbing bundle of nerves. He pulled it in between his teeth and I felt myself come undone.

"Fuck" I groaned as I felt my body let go and I came hard.

We just chuckled as we finished our shower. We dried each other off and went to get dressed. I pulled on a peasant skirt and a tank top. I slipped on a pair of flip flops and a black bandana for my head. I would glad when I didn't have to wear scarves on my head. Edward picked up our bags after pulling on his jeans and t-shirt, and we went downstairs and checked out.

We made our way back out to the car. Edward set the bags by the bag of the car and opened my car door for me. He got in and he kissed me before he shut the door. He loaded the bags into the trunk and came around to the drivers side. He climbed in and we made our way to the airport. We pulled up into the parking lot of he airport. We climbed out and went to get our bags from the trunk. Instead of their being only two bags there were six bags in the trunk. I looked up at Edward who was just chuckling at me.

"Bella, trust me." he chuckled.

"Why are there so many bags?" I asked.

"Just trust me." he chuckled as he began unloading the bags onto the luggage cart. I pulled the envelope out of my suitcase and stuck it in my purse. "What's that?"

"I'll explain when you do." I chuckled as I shut the trunk for him.

"You don't trust me, wife?" he asked as he wrapped his arm around my waist and led me into the airport.

"I trust you. I just don't like surprises." I chuckled.

"I'll explain after we get through security." chuckled Edward.

Edward picked up our tickets and we made our way through the security check point with out any trouble. Instead of taking me to the gate for our flight to New Hampshire, Edward lead me to a gate for a flight to New York. He checked us in. We had about half an hour until our flight boarded so we found some seats in the corned. Edward pulled me into his lap.

"Explain now, dear husband." I chuckled.

"Well, obviously we aren't going to look for apartments at Dartmouth. I planned us a honeymoon trip." chuckled Edward.

"To New York?" I asked.

"Just a stop on the way, love." he whispered as he kissed me softly.

"Then where?" I moaned as he sucked on my earlobe. He is such a cheater.

"Remember the night we went and celebrated Garrett going into remission." whispered Edward against my neck.

"Yes." I moaned. I could feel Edward's cock pressing into my ass.

"Remember the list of things we wanted to do." moaned Edward as I shifted so I was rubbing on his cock. I can play mean to. I thought back to the list.

"Paris?" I whispered pulling away from his lips.

"Yes." he whispered.

"How could you afford to plan us a trip to Pairs?" I asked.

"I didn't pay for it. Carlisle, Esme, Charlie, Renee, James, Victoria, William, Catherine, and the other did. They told me after you found out you were remission to plan a trip that you wanted to take. I knew Paris was the place."


	61. Chapter 61

"They really love us." I whispered.

"That they do." chuckled Edward. "Now you explain the envelope."

"I'll just show it to you." I chuckled as I pulled out the envelope. I handed it to him. He pulled out the contents and his eyes grew wide as he looked from it to me. "I know."

"Where the fuck did this come from?" he chuckled.

"Apparently, from my grandmother." I chuckled. I went on to explain about her dream and her instructions in her will. When I told him about his only being a small portion of what I was being given, I thought I might have to give him CPR. "So I guess now, we are pretty well off."

"Wow." whistled Edward just as they called for us to board our plane.

We wrapped our arms around each other and climbed onto the plane. We were flying first class to New York. We spent the majority of the flight wrapped in each other's arms kissing. I could never get enough of my new husband. Maybe it was the small amount of energy I was starting to regain but I just couldn't get enough of him. After a few hours on the plane, I made my way to the bathroom. I gave Edward a hard kiss before I left. A few minutes later, I heard a knock on the door. I pulled the door open and pulled my husband into the bathroom with me. He lifted me up and I wrapped his legs around my waist as he grabbed at my, now bare, ass. I dangled my panties from my finger.

"Fuck, Bella." he growled.

"Please fuck me, Edward." I moaned into his lips.

I reached down between us and undid his pants. I pushed them down and freed his cock from his boxers. Edward kissed me as he thrust into me hard. I moaned loudly at the feeling of his cock in me. I swear it is that best feeling ever. He thrust into me hard and fast. I could tell that he needed me so much right now. I could feel myself starting to tense up so I slipped my hand down between us and started playing with my clit.

"That is fucking hot." moaned Edward as he watched my fingers graze his cock as he slid in and out of me. "Cum for me now, Bella."

"Fuck, Edward…I…shit." I moaned loudly as I came hard.

"Fuck, Bella" moaned Edward as he spilled into me.

We stayed wrapped in each other's arms for a few minutes. Edward set me on my feet and pulled up his pants after tucking his cock back in. I started to slip my panties back on but Edward pulled them out of my hands and put them in his pocket. I cocked an eyebrow at him but he just chuckled and kissed me. I left first and went back to my seat. Several people turned and chuckled when I walked by. I am sure my face was beat red by the time I got to my seat. Edward followed a few minutes later. He was grinning like a mad fool. The flight attendant gave us both a coke with a wide smile. She said she thought we might be thirsty. I just buried my face into my hands.

The rest of the flight went by quickly. We landed in New York and just made our connecting flight to Paris. Edward and I slept most of the way to Paris. I still got tired fairly quickly. We landed at the airport in Paris. We made it through customs and collected our bags. We caught a taxi and made our way to the hotel. I looked out the window the entire way. It was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.

We spent three weeks in Paris. We didn't do much for the first couple days except for make love. Sometimes our love making was slow and gentle. Sometimes we simply fucked each other hard. Either way was always better than the time before. We eventually made it out of the hotel and went sight seeing. We took hundreds of pictures of each other. We went to museums and galleries. It was perfect. It was a dream come true.

After three weeks, we climbed onto the plane and went back home. We landed in New York and caught a flight to find an apartment in New Hampshire. It took us a couple days to find one that we liked but we finally did. It was an charming two bedroom apartment with vaulted ceilings and hardwood floors through out the entire place. We signed the lease and told them we would be moving in a month. We would need the time before school starts to find furniture for the place.

The next day we went to the airport and boarded a flight to Seattle. We slept in each others arms the entire way back. We landed in Seattle, grabbed our luggage and made our way out to the car. We climbed in and made our way back to our family. Three hours later, we pulled up in front of my house. We had just barely climbed out of the car when Charlie, Renee, Carlisle and Esme came running out of the house.

"We missed you so much." cried Esme as she pulled us into her arms.

"We missed you to, Esme." I whispered as I let my tears fall.

"Bella, look at your hair." cried Renee as she ran her hands through my very short hair but at least I didn't have to wear a scarf anymore. "It's so beautiful."

"Thanks, Mom." I chuckled as I hugged her. "I missed you."

"I missed you to." she chuckled. Charlie pulled me out of her arms and hugged me tight.

"Bella, you look beautiful, baby." he whispered through his tears.

"Thanks, Daddy." I whispered.

"Bella, how are you feeling?" asked Carlisle.

"I feel great. I still get tired pretty easy but it's getting better. I can feel my body getting stronger." I said as I hugged him.

"Good." he said relieved. "Well let's get these bags into the house before the others come out and drag you inside."

We just chuckled as we made our way into the house. Charlie and Carlisle took our bags up to my room, while Esme and Renee dragged us into the living room where Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Angela, Ben, James, Victoria, Peter, Charlotte, Eleazar, Carmen, Robert, Ann, John, Elizabeth, William and Catherine were waiting for us. As soon as they saw us they pulled up into their arms. After several minutes of hugs and more hugs, we managed to settle down a little bit.

"Bella, your hair looks so cute like that." squealed Alice.

"Thanks, Ali. I'm just glad to have hair again." I chuckled.

"So what was Paris like?" asked Rose.

"It was incredible. It was beautiful and romantic. It was a dream come true." I whispered as a tear fell from my eye. I looked at our parents and everyone who had paid for the trip. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much that meant to me."

"We're glad you got to go, sweetheart." whispered Esme.

"It's one thing you can cross off your list." chuckled Peter.

"What list?" asked Emmett.

"Edward and I made a list of things we wanted to do before we died. We started it the night we celebrated Garrett going to into remission. We want to live each day to the fullest. He taught me that." I whispered as I grabbed James and Victoria's hands.

"They would be proud of you, Bella." whispered James through his tears.

"I know they would." I whispered.

We continued to talk and celebrate for a few more hours before everyone started going home. Edward and I said goodnight to Charlie and Renee and made our way upstairs to my room. We quietly undressed each other and made love silently for the next few hours. After we came together, we wrapped our arms around each other and fell into a deep sleep.


	62. Chapter 62

We woke up the next morning just after eight. We made love again and went to take a shower. We got dresses and made our way downstairs. We were going to meet Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Ben and Angela for breakfast before my appointment with Carlisle. He wanted to rerun my blood test to make sure everything still looked good. We climbed into the Volvo and headed down to the diner. They were already waiting for us when we walked in so we quickly joined them.

"Morning." I chuckled as I sat next to Alice. Edward sat next to and put his arm on the back of my chair.

"Morning." they all said together.

"Have you ordered yet? I'm fucking starving." I chuckled as I looked at the menu.

"Why are you hungry, Bella?" chuckled Emmett. I looked up at him and grinned.

"Fucking Edward always makes me hungry." I smirked. Emmett just turned red in the face and started chuckling with the others.

"Bella, I've missed you, sister." chuckled Emmett.

"I missed you to, brother." I chuckled. Our waitress came over and took our breakfast order. "So what have you been doing for the past month?"

"Well, we told all our parents about our engagements." chuckled Angela.

"How did they take the news?" I asked.

"They were happy for us but were also glad that we were planning to wait awhile before we get married." said Rose.

"My parent's weren't to happy with mine and Ben's plan to live together but they are trying to accept it." chuckled Angela.

"Have you found an apartment yet?" I asked.

"Yeah, we flew out a couple weeks ago. We were able to find a small apartment a block from campus." said Ben.

"So were we." said Rose. "Emmett and I are going to share a place in the same building as Angela and Ben."

"Alice and I found an apartment there to." said Jasper.

"What's the name of he building? Mine and Edward's new apartment is about a block from campus." I explained.

"It's called Canterbury's Hill." said Alice. Edward and I just looked at each other and started laughing.

"What are the odds?" I chuckled. "Mine and Edward's apartment is in the same building. We are in apartment 309. What are you in?"

"Seriously?" squealed Alice. "Jasper and I are in 310."

"Ben and I are in 311." chuckled Angela.

"Emmett and I are in 308." chuckled Rose.

"This so cool!" I squealed as our waitress brought our food out to us.

Rose, Alice, Angela and I talked about how we wanted to decorate our new apartments while the boys talked about Dartmouth's football team. After we finished our breakfast, Edward and I went down to the hospital to see Carlisle. We talked about how funny it was that the eight of us would get apartments together. We made it to the hospital and made our way inside and up to Carlisle's office. We checked in and took a seat in the waiting room. A few minutes later, Carmen called us back. We followed her to the back where she weighed me. I had gained 3lbs of the nearly twenty that I had lost during my treatments back. She took us into an examination room. A few minutes later, Carlisle came in with a big smile on his face.

"Good morning, kids." he chuckled. "How was breakfast with the others?"

"It was good. We realized that our apartment is next to theirs." I chuckled.

"Really?" chuckled Carlisle. "What are the odds?"

"I know right. We were surprised." chuckled Edward.

"Well, I want to do a routine physical and then we will take some blood. It will take a few days before we know anything but just from looking at you, I think you are perfectly fine." said Carlisle.

"Thanks. I feel really good." I chuckled.

Carlisle listened to my heart and lungs. I laid back on the table and he felt around on my abdomen. He said everything sounded good to him. He took some blood and we left. We went out and visited Garrett and Kate's graves before we went home. I could almost feel them wrapping their arms around me.

The next month went by quickly. Carlisle got the test results back two days after he took my blood sample. He said everything looked good and I was still in remission. I have to admit I was a little scared that I had gotten sick again. Edward and I spent the next month packing up our lives in Forks. We wouldn't have room in our apartment for either of our pianos so those would be staying here. We decided to take my bed since it was more comfortable. The eight of us split the cost of a moving truck so we could move our little amount of furniture. Between the eight of us we had probably 100 boxes of movies, books, music, cloths and shoes. Most of the shoes were Alice and Rose's.

Here we are the morning that we are leaving for Dartmouth. We loaded everything in the moving truck yesterday. Emmett was going to pull it on the back of his jeep. The eight of us were standing out in the yard with our parents, Peter, Charlotte, Eleazar, Carmen, James and Victoria saying our good byes. We were all crying and sobbing into each other. I had already hugged Robert, Ann, John, Elizabeth, Eleazar, Carmen, William, and Catherine when I was pulled into James and Victoria's arms.

"Bella, dear, you take care of yourself and Edward. We will miss you so much." whispered Victoria.

"I will miss you to." I whispered as I let my tears fall freely. "I love you so much."

"We love you to, dear." said James. I pulled away and hugged Esme.

"Esme, thank you for everything. I love you." I whispered softly.

"I love you to, Bella. We will talk to you in a couple days." she whispered.

"I promise." I whispered as I was pulled into Carlisle's arms.

"Bella, take care of my son. I will see you in a few weeks when I come out." he whispered.

"I will. I promise." I whispered. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you to, daughter." whispered Carlisle. I pulled away and went over to Charlie and Renee. I grabbed their hands in mine. For a few minutes I couldn't say anything.

"Thank you for everything. I love you both so much. We will be back soon." I whispered as I hugged them.

"We love you to, Baby." whispered Renee.

"We are so proud of you." whispered Charlie. "Don't forget. You will always be my little girl."

"Forever, Daddy." I whispered.

"Bella, we need to get going." whispered Edward as he wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Ok, Edward." I whispered. I turned and looked back at everyone. "I love you all."

"We love you to." they all said together.

Edward and I climbed into the Volvo while Emmett and Jasper climbed into the moving truck. Rose, Alice, Ben and Angela climbed into Rose's BMW. I looked back at our parents as we drove away from our home. I turned and looked at my husband. He had tears running down his face as he drove. I reached over and grabbed his hand.

"I love you, husband." I whispered softly.

"I love you, wife." he whispered as he pulled me into his arms.

As I saw the you are now leaving Forks sign, I knew that I would be fine. I had my husband and my siblings with me. We stayed wrapped in each other as we drove to our new life together.

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**I hope you enjoyed reading this. I love all the rviews and it is encouraging to read them. The sequel is ready and I will put it up tonight:)**


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